Not So Dainty, Tris
by Al-497
Summary: AU: Beatrice Prior is the princess of Abnegation and lives a boring life, until her mother reveals to her that she is engaged to be married to Prince Peter of Candor. With the help of her new friend Christina, she leaves Abnegation in hopes of evading her marriage. Will the two manage to escape, or will they end up in the middle of a war much bigger than them? R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I really have no idea where I came up with this; I think I had a dream? Regardless, this is pretty AU. There might be a war later on, but you can definitely count on some conflict and at least a few fights. For now the rating is T for cussing and some minor kissing to occur later, but there is an incredibly strong possibility of that rating being bumped up.**

** Let me know what you think and if you have any constructive criticism to make this story better in a review. **

** Disclaimer: Trust me, I don't own Divergent or any of its characters or else Allegiant would have ended very, very differently.**

**Now, without further ado, **_**Not So Dainty, Tris**_**.**

* * *

TRIS

Head up, shoulders back. Dainty feet and a large bosom. Gowns two sizes too small. Corsets. Pointy shoes. Hair pins. Powder. Lip stain.

All aspects of my life that haunt me daily.

In other words, it's bullshit.

My name is Beatrice Prior and I'm the princess of Abnegation. Although I am a princess, I still live a relatively humble life. My "palace" is shared with the factionless in the Abnegation nation, however there aren't many due to the fact my parents—and the other nobles—give the majority of their wealth to giving the factionless homes and bits of land to farm or raise livestock.

"Beatrice!"

My head snapped up. I was laying on the broad bark of a tree in our palace grounds, which was prohibited by my father, King Andrew.

I peered over the edge of the branch and saw my older brother, Caleb, standing below it, a grin on his face. "Beatrice," he laughed, "Mom's looking for you!"

I swung my feet over the branch and dropped to the ground. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Women things, I assume."

Groaning, I grabbed my shoes from the base of the tree and shoved my feet into them. I winced as I stood up on them. "Stupid shoes," I growled.

He smirked and offered me his arm. "I'll escort the lady."

I rolled my eyes and linked my arm through his. "I'm charmed."

* * *

My mother was waiting for me in the main parlor. "Ah, Beatrice. How are you?"

"I am well, thank you for asking. May I inquire as to why you called me?"

"Well, you're sixteen now. And I think you know that is the customary age young women marry at-"

My eyes widened with shock. "Mom, are you suggesting that I get married? I-I haven't even done anything worthwhile yet and you want me to get _married_?"

"It's the selfless thing to do-"

I shook my head. "I won't do it."

"Beatrice. It isn't really your choice. As king and queen of Abnegation, it is our duty to marry you to a young prince from another kingdom in hopes of a lasting alliance."

"Who's the 'young prince'?" I asked, bitterly.

"His name is Peter, and he is a prince in Candor. He's a charming young man."

"Mom, I won't do it. I refuse."

She sighed wearily. "Just consider it. He and his family, along with some of their servants, will be here tomorrow to meet with you. Just please, try and keep an open mind."

I groaned and threw my hands in the air. "Yes, I'll try and keep an open mind whilst meeting the man that I have to spend the rest of my life with regardless. What's the point of being open-minded if my opinion doesn't even matter?"

"Beatrice, please."

I lifted my head and pushed my shoulders back. "May I be excused?"

She nodded. "Yes, but please be prepared for introductions tomorrow."

* * *

The next morning I woke up already dreading lunch. I bathed and donned my least favorite dress. My hair was braided down my back and only at my mother's request did I also paint my lips a dull red.

I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. My blue eyes were too large for my face, but at least my nose didn't seem so long since my face has developed more. I flashed a smile at myself. No one that looks like this will woo a prince.

I heard the sound of trumpets and knew the Candor entourage had arrived. I made my way to the throne room where I stood in between my parents thrones, next to Caleb. He glanced at my sympathetically, and I wished he wouldn't. I don't need pity.

Introductions were made and soon Peter stood before me. He was tall with dark hair and green eyes. "Hello, Princess. I am honored to meet you." He took my hand in his own and kissed it, bowing his head slightly.

I tried my best not to glower down at him as I replied, "Charmed, I'm sure."

He straightened before bowing to Caleb. "Sire."

My brother offered only a slight nod in response, and I could see the contempt in his eyes. He didn't like him, either. At least one person's on my side, considering my parents were gushing over the arrangement with his.

Caleb and I met eyes and he nodded briefly to me before excusing himself from the court room. I sighed as Peter held his arm out to me. "Shall we walk?"

I hesitated. "I think-"

"Oh, Beatrice would simply love to show you around!" my mother called, placing her hands over her heart and giving her best 'aww' expression. His mother did the same before the two women clasped hands and started discussing wedding plans. I did my best to hide my grimace as I took Peter's arm.

I led him out to the garden where he began talking about himself. He discussed all of the tournaments he's won, the men he's killed in battle, the most amount of game he's ever brought down… It went on and on and each time he tried to impress me, I found my disdain for him grow.

"So when we get married, I think we should have three kids. But only boys. No offense, but girls don't really do much, not for the kingdom anyway, and I need knights. Strong, brave knights… Do you think you can produce kids like that? I know it's a lot to ask and Abnegation isn't known for being that strong, but maybe combined with me…"

"Enough." I pulled away from him. "I can't believe you're insulting women, my kingdom and me in that way! There's no point to this conversation in the first place because I'm _not_ going to marry you."

Peter looked affronted. "How dare you speak to me that way? I am a prince!" he seethed.

"And I a princess!" I shouted, angrily. I took a shuddering breath. "And now, if you would be so kind to join me, we are expected back for dinner."

He nodded, although his eyes still burned angrily. He offered his arm to me. "My lady," he muttered coolly.

* * *

After supper I made my way up to my bedroom, where I lay on the balcony. I was looking up at the stars when I heard a small noise.

"Psst. Hey, Princess." I looked over to the edge of the balcony and saw a dark-skinned girl hanging there. She flashed a smile, her white teeth dazzling. "A little help?"

I nodded, reaching over the balcony and pulling her up. "Who are you?"

"My name's Christina, I work with the Candor royals. I'm somewhat of a guard for them."

"Right, well, pleasure to meet you Christina. Not to be blunt, but why were you climbing my balcony?"

"Oh," she said. "To warn you. Peter's a no-good, stuck-up, arrogant maniac. He stabbed a man in his eye once because he scored higher in a hunting trip. If I were you, I'd do my best to get out of this marriage."

I scoffed. "I'd do anything to get out of it. My mother's bent on my being married, there's not much I can do, I'm afraid."

Christina seemed thoughtful. "How much do you like it here?"

I shrugged. "It's okay."

She laughed. "You hate it here! Okay, this works nicely then. My proposition to you is that you run away. I'll go with you."

"What? I don't even know you. Why would I run away with you?"

"To save yourself from a lifetime of cruelty and shit." She shrugged. "I thought it was obvious."

The gears started turning then. Everything I knew, everyone who had been a part of my life was so bland and repetitive. Head up, shoulders back. Dainty feet and a large bosom. Gowns two sizes too small. Corsets. Pointy shoes. Hair pins. Powder. Lip stain.

I grinned at Christina. "What'd you have in mind?"

* * *

We were in my bedroom and I was putting on an outfit Christina had brought up for me: black pants, a black tunic and a black belt complete with a place for a sword. I had snuck to the armory and picked a sword with my family's crest on it; not everything had to be left behind. Christina sat on my bed looking at a map. "What about Erudite?"

I shook my head. "They would bring me back because that would be the logical thing to do."

"Hm. Amity?"

"Nope. They'd bring me back for the sake of maintaining peace within the kingdoms."

She scrunched up her nose. "Well, Candor's obviously out, since we're basically running away from them, too." She cracked a smile. "Guess Dauntless is our only hope then."

I blanched. "_Dauntless_?"

"I know, it's not ideal, but think about it. It's a known fact that the people in Dauntless are borderline insane. They love danger and crazy shit. It's honestly our best bet."

I sighed, knowing she was right. "Fine. I guess I shouldn't be bringing my gowns then."

She grinned. "No. You and I definitely need to go shopping. Hope you plan on bringing plenty of gold."

"I wasn't planning on it. I didn't want to have to steal from my family, but I guess I haven't got much of a choice." I moved to a jewelry box near my bed and opened it. Inside was my mother's old necklace, a gift for my sixteenth birthday. It was a plain, simple chain with a small raven charm. I clasped it around my neck, and then turned my focus back to the box. I lifted the top off, revealing one hundred or so gold pieces. I began shoving them into a small bag. When I had finished I turned towards Christina. "Okay."

"I'm fairly certain that your family won't be too happy with you leaving the palace at midnight, so I'm afraid we'll have to jump from the ledge."

"The ledge? Christina- my room is on the highest floor. I- that can't be safe."

"Hey, I know. You're scared, I get it. But you can't back out now. Besides, if we're going to Dauntless we'll need to get used to behaving recklessly. Are you in?"

I nodded. "Of course."

"Good. Do you want me to jump first?"

"No. I'll go." I moved to the edge of the balcony and stared over. Christina moved to my side and helped me onto the ledge.

"Be brave," she whispered. I closed my eyes and thought of the raven charm I wore around my neck. I touched it before spreading my arms and falling forward. The sensation of falling filled me and for a moment, just a fleeting moment, I thought I was flying.

I landed with an 'oof' on a pile of hay. I stood and brushed off my pants. Christina dropped down moments later, my bag on her shoulder. "Our chain mail is in here, as well as the money, the map, canteens and some various fruits and bread." She glanced at me and smiled. "Ready to escape?"

I smiled back and we turned, heading into the wood. Christina gripped the map tightly in her hands. "Dauntless isn't far, it's actually the closest kingdom. I think we can make it by dinner time tomorrow, but it would help if we had horses."

"Don't worry about horses," I whispered. "The stables are up ahead."

We soon reached said stables and Christina and I chose our horses. Hers, a chestnut mare with a white nose and me, a black stallion. We rode for a few hours before stopping to eat. Christina sat at the base of a tree, eating her apple whilst carving her name into the bark.

I glanced back at the palace, which could barely be seen on the horizon as the sun peeked up. Although the castle was bland, it looked beautiful illuminated in the sun's rays. "Hey," Christina called. "You aren't getting cold feet, are you?"

My features molded into a scowl as I regarded my old home. I turned towards her, shaking my head slowly. "No. Now come on, if we want to get to Dauntless by supper we need to get going."

* * *

TOBIAS

I yawned, stretching my arms out. I lifted my nose away from the musty pallet I slept on and looked around my small cottage. It wasn't much, but it was home. I jumped up and threw on a black tunic and black pants. I looped my belt around my waist and stuck my sword into the cover.

A quick glance in the mirror told me that I looked good, even with my larger than normal ears. I had let my hair grow out from its usual neat crop cut. It was wavy and dark brown, in contrast to my bright blue eyes. I shook my head, smirking. I was getting a big head.

A knock sounded at my door and I pulled it open. Zeke and Uriah stood against the frames. "C'mon, Four!" Zeke said. "How long does it take a man to dress himself?"

I shrugged. "You can't blame me. It takes work to look this good."

He scoffed. "As if. Let's go, Shauna, Lynn and Marlene are probably out there already."

I nodded, grabbing my leather coat from the hanger and shrugging it on. I greeted Uriah who slapped my back before punching his brother, resulting in a chase. I jogged alongside the two brothers, laughing at their antics.

We stopped at the edge of our cliff. The girls sat lazily on the ground. "Took you long enough," Shauna muttered before Zeke pulled her up and into his arms. Uriah greeted Lynn and Marlene, although his exchange with Marlene was a lot friendlier than that of Lynn's. I also greeted the ladies, grinning when Lynn slapped Zeke for kissing her sister right in front of her.

"Shall we jump?" Marlene asked suddenly.

This was our daily routine. Meet at the cliff, jump, hang out in the waters and then start our patrol. This was only interrupted if Zeke or Uriah were called in for official knight duty, or if Shauna and Lynn's grandmother had fallen ill again.

The response was unanimous, all in accordance. I walked back a few meters before all out sprinting to the edge and launching myself into the air. I heard a few shouts of disapproval, as we had never agreed who would go first, but it was too late by now. I soared for a few more seconds before splashing into the waters beneath me.

I have to go first, or else I'll chicken out. My head was submerged in the water, so I kicked up to the surface, taking a deep breath. Zeke and Shauna held hands as they made the jump, followed quickly by Lynn.

Uriah seemed to be offering Marlene the next jump, but she seemed to also be offering it to him. They looked awkward and flustered and I cracked a smile. Zeke caught my eye, and the two of us erupted with laughter.

Eventually, Marlene jumped, followed quickly by Uriah. The six of us splashed around gaily, the occasional splash fight coming up, which I always won. After a few hours, the sun was high in the sky and it was time to start patrolling.

I made my way down my particular route, same as I always do. The afternoon heat came and went and I hadn't encountered anything exciting, spare a few Erudite thieves that I quickly got rid of. Nothing eventful had occurred and I returned to the cliff, bored and disheartened. I sat on a rock near the edge, placing my head in my hands. I was pretty exhausted, despite the day's lack of action.

I heard a loud horse whinny and shouts suddenly, and I glanced up. Two girls on the other side of the cliff were struggling with a huge black stallion. A second horse, a chestnut mare, began to run off and the darker girl yelled something before chasing after it.

The other girl struggled with her horse, grasping at the reigns desperately and trying to reach its nose. She was dangerously close to its hooves and I had seen instances like this where an owner had been killed due to being struck by the hooves.

I heard the scream before I saw it happen. The hooves connected with the girl's abdomen, sending her flying back over the cliff. I heard a shout as the others ran back into view. I groaned, slipping off my tunic and removing my sword from my belt. I ran to the edge of the cliff and dove in, making my way to the struggling girl beneath the waves. I grabbed her around her waist and pulled her up to the surface.

I began to swim for the shore when I heard another splash to my left. I looked over and saw the dark skinned girl surface, swimming towards us. "Who are you?" she yelled as she swam next to me.

"It doesn't matter," I muttered. We reached the shore and I dragged the girl to the sand. I bent over, catching my breath.

The girl fell to her knees next to her friend. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Christina. My stomach's a little sore, but I'll live." She looked up at me, and her eyes widened.

"I know you from somewhere!" she exclaimed.

What the hell was she talking about? I stared at her before the realization that I recognized her, too, dawned. "Yeah," I muttered. "What'd you say your name was?"

She turned to her friend, Christina, with wide eyes. "Uhm," Christina started. "Her name is… uh…"

"Tris!" the other girl said. "My name is Tris, and you are?"

"My name is Four," I responded. "Now come on, let's get you two somewhere warm."

* * *

TRIS

Christina and I were finally in Dauntless territory after what seemed like days of travel. The sun was starting to go down, and Christina was worried that we'd be stuck in the dark with Dauntless criminals.

We reached the side of a cliff and my horse started to go ballistic. He was rearing up on his hind legs and whinnying and snorting. I tumbled backwards and landed on my butt. "What the hell?" I cried, until I saw what had worked him up. A small snake slithered towards me, away from the horse from hell.

Christina's own horse began to whinny so she jumped off before she met the same fate as I. She reached my horse's reigns, missing by a hair when he jerked his head back. I stood up and held my arms out in front of him. "Sh," I cooed. "Calm down,"

Christina shouted something along the lines of, "Now my damn horse is going crazy!" before running into the wood after her cantering mare. I rolled my eyes and turned my focus back to my own insane stallion. "Please, calm down!"

Before I even knew what was happening, my stomach ached and I was falling over the edge of the cliff. I think the bastard may have kicked me. I hit the water with a slap before sinking under. I tried to kick but kept drifting downwards. My fingers fumbled for my belt buckle, but I couldn't get it undone. I tried to pull my sword out of its pouch but it wouldn't budge.

Panic seized me and I began to kick and thrash in the water, frantic air bubbles escaping from my mouth and nose. A strong arm was suddenly wrapped around my waist and pulling me up to the surface. When my face was above the water I took in a huge gasp, coughing and spluttering.

There was another splash to my right and Christina was swimming towards us. "Who are you?"

"Doesn't matter," came a gruff reply. So my savior was a man. I suppose that was evident by the arm hair, but I was always taught never too assume in Abnegation.

The man dragged me over to the shore and I slumped against a rock, coughing still. Christina dropped beside me. "Hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine, Christina. My stomach's a little sore, but I'll live." I glanced up at the man who saved me and my eyes widened in surprise. I knew him! I don't know from where, but his face was incredibly familiar. "I know you from somewhere!"

He looked at me like I was crazy before his eyes widened slightly, too. "Yeah. What'd you say your name was?"

I glanced at Christina. We hadn't actually thought of a name, or any sort of plan beyond our initial plan of running to Dauntless. ""Uhm, her name is… uh…"

An idea sprung to me and I yelled it out without even thinking. "Tris! My name is Tris," I said firmly, looking back at the man. "And you are?"

"My name is Four. Now come on, let's get you two somewhere warm."

* * *

**Okay! First chapter, sorry if any of your Fourtris shippers were disappointed with the lack of this chapter, but trust me, it's coming, as well as some WillxChristina!**

** I'll try my hardest to post at least every other day, but I might be busy with school and stuff. But definitely expect updates on the weekends.**

** Please leave a review and spill your thoughts about this. Thanks for reading and I sincerely hope you enjoyed!**

** _Al**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two is up! This one was a lot of fun to write, actually. Well, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Divergent.**

* * *

TRIS

Four led Christina and I to a small hut, grinning sheepishly. "Home sweet home," he said, hanging his jacket and belt on a hook by the door. "I don't actually have an extra bed or anything for you guys, but you could probably share my pallet and I'll take floor-"

"Not necessary," I interrupted. "We have plenty of money and a long way to go."

"Where exactly are you going?" he asked.

"To Dauntless," Christina interjected.

He began to laugh loudly. "Trust me; you're better off staying here on the boundaries with the rouges than actually in the city. Why would two young girls need to go there anyway?"

"Why do you need to know?" Christina snapped, grabbing my arm. "We've traveled too far and long to be told to go back now." She pulled me from the room and I shouted a quick thank you as she dragged my down the path, back towards the cliff.

We set up camp as far from the edge as possible. Christina started a small fire and we sat by it, talking and sharing tales of our childhoods. Admittedly, she had some pretty hysterical ones about Peter. In the middle of a story, I heard a loud snap come from the woods. "Did you hear that?"

She nodded eyes wide. Carefully and quietly she drew her sword and I followed suit. We crept towards the noise and were startled by a boy and a girl jumping out at us, yelling some sort of battle cry.

The girl collided with me, sending us both rolling. She grabbed at my wrist, attempting to make me lose my grip on my sword, while I slashed at her. We were precariously near the cliff and in a moment of sheer luck I stretched my arm and caught hold of a branch. I jerked to a stop and she rolled off of me, landing on her back with an 'oof'. I stood up and pounced on her, pinning her arms to the ground with my knees. I drew a dagger from my boot and held it at her neck. "Who are you and what do you want?" I hissed.

"My name is Cara," she choked out, despite the pressure on her throat.

I looked at her; she was dressed all in blue. "An Erudite thief," I spat.

She rolled her eyes, allotting a chuckle. "Not exactly. My brother and I were hoping to breach Dauntless and find better living conditions. Erudite's not the safest place nowadays."

Her story seemed true, although I wouldn't let my suspicions go until Christina had a talk with her. She's decent at reading people. I stood and helped her up, keeping my knife pressed to her back. "In case you try anything," I muttered when she gave me a questioning glance.

We heard a shout and glanced at the cliff, where Christina held the boy over the edge by the ankle. "Cara!" he screamed.

I sighed. "Christina, drop him. On the sand," I added.

She narrowed her eyes, muttering something before dropping him on to the sand. He sat up, rubbing his head. "Who the hell are you people?" he muttered.

I prodded Cara with my knife. "Tell her what you told me."

"Enough with the theatrics," the girl muttered. She told Christina what she told me.

"Well?" I asked.

Christina nodded. "Yeah, I believe her story. I'd been hearing rumors in Candor about Erudite before we came to Abnegation. The uprisings in Erudite have something to do with why Peter's parents wanted him to marry you so suddenly."

I nodded, sheathing my knife. I smiled somewhat sheepishly at Cara, extending a hand. "My name's Tris."

She took it, cautiously. "Cara, as you know. That's my brother, Will."

Christina was helping him up. "Sorry I almost killed you. I felt threatened," she said, shrugging.

He grinned. "Hey, most people don't get the jump on me like that. Kudos to you," he said, winking.

Cara and I shared a glance at the exchange; something I believe is referred to as flirting. "Well," I said, "you're welcome to join us. We're also trying to breach the city and seek refuge."

Cara grinned. "We'd be honored, Princess."

I blanched. "What- how- I mean-"

"Don't fret, Tris. I'm from Erudite, I'm very knowledgeable. You look exactly like the princess and Tris isn't all that different from Beatrice in the first place. You basically just removed the first syllable."

I sighed. "Please, don't share my identity with anyone we meet. I'm running away from Abnegation and I really don't need rumors that the princess is hiding in Dauntless."

Cara held up her hands. "Hey, I know. I'm knowledgeable, remember?"

Christina grinned. "I have a feeling we're going to become good friends with these people, Tris."

* * *

TOBIAS

I watched as the two girls retreated down the path, shrugging. Their funeral. I guess I should've warned them that the woods are teeming with Erudite thieves at night, but hey, it slipped my mind. Christina was rude anyway; I could care less if she died.

Tris was actually somewhat nice, and for whatever reason, incredibly captivating. Something about her really intrigued me, but I couldn't place it. I recognized her as soon as she mentioned she knew me from somewhere. Where had I met her? She obviously wasn't Dauntless, you could tell by her careful demeanor. Maybe she had offered me a place to stay in Amity…

Regardless, I knew this girl somehow and I was going to be up all night thinking about her. What really got me was the fact that she wasn't even that pretty. I mean, sure, her eyes are kind of nice, as well as her smile. Her nose is a little long, but not too much. Not so much that it takes away from her general appearance at all.

Christina was somewhat of a looker, too. Yep, those girls were going to be pillaged and raped. As an honorary Dauntless knight, I should probably have felt some sort of desire to go after them, to save them. I mean, any person who claims to be halfway decent would've gone after them.

Thank goodness I don't claim said decency.

The night was uneventful, filled with eating and occasional naps. I always woke up with her damn face in my mind. Dammit, Tris. I didn't even know her, yet I was seemingly captivated. One question burned in my mind all night, even if I was sleeping, it found a way into my dreams: _Where the hell did I know her from?_

Eventually, light seeped its way into my hut, eliciting a groan. Patrol was going to kick my ass. I grabbed a bite to eat and waited outside for Zeke and Uriah. When they walked up, Zeke broke out into a grin. "Look who's up bright and early!"

I rolled my eyes. "I couldn't sleep. Are we going to go or not?"

"Slow your roll, my man. We'll get going soon."

I moved past them. I didn't mean to be so short with the brothers; I was tired and pissed off at everything in general. We made our way to the cliff, but were stopped before we made it. Lynn, Shauna and Marlene grabbed each of us, pulling us behind a tree.

"There are people sleeping on our cliff," Marlene hissed. "What the hell?"

I groaned, knowing exactly who it was. "They're harmless, Mar. Just two insane girls trying to make their way into Dauntless."

"Two girls?" Lynn challenged. "Try three, along with a guy."

For some reason, when she said the part about the guy, my blood boiled. "Well, let's give them a wake-up call."

Uriah grinned, drawing his sword. "Let's."

* * *

TRIS

I woke up to frantic shouts. I lifted my head, delirious, and saw a short-haired girl gripping Cara by her own long locks with a sword to her throat. Will was being restrained by two darker skinned boys and Christina was pinned down by two girls.

Hands wrapped around my chest and I screamed, only to have a hand clamped over my mouth. I sank my teeth into my captor and he swore, letting me go. I rolled away and lunged for Christina's belt, which was to my left. I was stopped by a foot connecting to my side, causing me to cry out. I glowered up at my attacker and gasped.

_Four?_

"What the hell are you doing?" I cried.

"This is our cliff," he responded, smugly, before nudging me with his foot. "Get up and fight me."

"Why would I fight you?" I asked, shaking my head. "You saved my life yesterday—I don't want to have any conflict with you."

"Just do it, damn it!" he growled. He bent down and grabbed Christina's belt, drawing her sword. He threw the belt and dropped the sword in front of my face. "Get up, Stiff."

I growled when he threw in the derogatory term. I snatched the sword and stood. "What is the point of this?" I hissed.

"You want to live in Dauntless, right?" I nodded curtly. "Well," he continued, "consider this your initiation. If you can beat me, you can make it in there. If not," he shrugged. "You may as well pack up and go back from wherever you came from."

My blood boiled. How dare he? I had to stop myself from announcing my princess title and from ordering an execution for him. I raised my sword and gave it a few experimental swings. Not as good a balance as mine, but it will do.

"Fine," I called. "But if I win, you take your passé elsewhere and leave me and my friends alone."

"And this becomes _our_ cliff!" Christina added, earning her a hard slap from one of the girls holding her.

I nodded. "That, too."

"Fair enough," Four murmured. "But if _I_ win, consider yourselves banished from Dauntless."

Okay, that was definitely unfair compared to my standards, but I shrugged, anyway, extending a hand. "Shake on it."

He obliged, sticking out his hand. We shook once then moved back into our fight stances. This wasn't just a fight for me—it was a fight for Christina, for her right to be her own person, not just a servant to the Candors. It was a fight for Will and Cara, for their rights to be safe in their own home.

I lunged, driving my sword forward. He sidestepped and I swung my blade to follow his path. I brought it up and slashed downwards, our swords clashing in a harsh discord. He pulled away, dancing on the balls of his feet. He was light, bouncy, versus my heavy stance.

I growled, moving towards him again. This time, I stayed light on my feet and I could feel the power in my swing increase. I grinned, slashing and catching him in the side. He hissed, pressing a hand against the wound. He pulled it away and it was covered in red.

"Oops," I sang.

This time he was on the offense, snarling as he swiped his sword towards me. I jumped back, raising my own weapon in front of my face and catching his sword as he brought it down. I used his momentum against him, shoving back with all of my mite. He stumbled back and caught himself before he landed on his butt.

He snarled again, coming at me. I sidestepped and ducked, dodging every attack he threw at me. He slashed to my left and when I went right, he lifted his sword and caught my cheek with the tip. I cursed as I felt the warm blood seep down my face. "Oops," he mocked.

I narrowed my eyes and moved forward, forcing him back. I grinned and feigned right. He moved left and I lifted my sword, slashing at the hand holding his sword. He hissed as the tip of my sword left a long, bloody line against the back of his palm. He dropped his sword and I dropped to my stomach and reached for it, rolling away as he brought his foot down exactly where my face was just a second before.

I jumped back to my feet, now brandishing two swords. I moved forward, making an 'X' with the swords in front of me. He had no choice but to step back until I had forced him against the very edge of the cliff. His heels shifted off the edge and his arms swung wildly, his face a mask of pure terror.

He started to lean backwards as if he was about to fall and I lunged forward and grabbed his forearm, pulling him back towards me. His weight was too much and we teetered backwards, him landing on my chest. I wheezed, all of the wind knocked out of me, before kicking with my feet and gripping his shoulders. I rolled so that I was now on top of him, straddling his chest with my knees pinning his arms to the ground.

"I win," I said triumphantly.

He narrowed his eyes before grinning widely at me. His friends began to laugh, too, and released mine. The taller of the dark skinned boys moved towards me. "I'm Zeke," he said. He stretched out his hand and I took it, cautiously. "No need to be afraid, little lady. I'm sure you could hold your own against me, especially if you managed to take out Four."

"I'm Tris," I responded, panting heavily.

The other dark-skinned boy walked up and Zeke slung his arm across his shoulders. "This here is Uriah, my little knuckleheaded brother."

Christina moved so that she was behind me and Will stood protectively in front of her and Cara. "These are my friends, Christina, Will and Cara," I said, gesturing to each of them as I said their names. Other introductions were made and I learned that Lynn was the girl with short hair and Shauna was her older sister. The last girl, Marlene, was apparently Uriah's girlfriend, according to Zeke, even though neither would admit it. Shauna actually was Zeke's girlfriend, though.

Whilst the two groups mingled, I attempted to wash my cheek. Four came over to me and smiled. "You put up quite a fight for such a little girl," he said.

I grimaced. "Is that a compliment or an insult?"

He shrugged. "Take it as you will. I, of course, meant it in a good way. Anyway, you need any help with that? It's kind of nasty."

I sighed, nodding. "I have to admit, I wouldn't have been able to beat you if I hadn't also been able to learn from you."

He cocked his head to the side as he wiped my cheek with a wet cloth. Where he found that, God knows where. "What do you mean?"

I grinned sheepishly. "I observed the way you moved while you fought and copied you. It ended up working out well."

He returned my smile, dazzling me. "So you come from Erudite?"

"What? No," I said, laughing. "Abnegation. Why would you assume Erudite?"

"Hey, in my defense, Erudite's are generally quick learners _and_ quick to adapt under pressure. I bet you'd fit in perfectly there."

I offered a small shrug. "Probably better than how I fit in back home."

He frowned. "Yeah, Abnegation seems like a great place, but in actuality it's pretty tough to get along there. Too many rules and conducts." He shook his head and smiled warmly at me. "Well, you're all cleaned up, although that might leave a scar. Sorry about that."

I ignored his apology and reached for his hand. I turned it over and saw a long line of dried blood. I groaned and held out my hand. He chuckled as he placed the cloth into it. I rubbed it against the wound softly, not wanting to hurt him.

"I can clean myself up, you know. I'm used to these kinds of injuries," he murmured.

I shook my head. "No way. I didn't mean to make the cut this deep."

He chuckled again, shaking his head. He reached out and brushed a strand of hair out of my face. "Don't worry about it."

"Hey, Four!" Zeke yelled. "If you're done flirting, why don't you join us? Turns out Christina didn't actually mean that this was their cliff. The girl's going to let us stay, isn't she the sweetest?"

Christina uttered her annoyance at that comment followed by a smack to Zeke's arm, causing the boy to wince. I smiled at Four, dabbing up the last bit of dried blood from the cloth and stepping back.

He nodded at me before jogging over to Zeke's side, crashing into his friend and laughing as the two fell to the ground in a heap. I smiled softly at the two of them. Four was different than any man I'd ever encountered. For some reason, a part of me insisted that this was because he was being himself around me, not behaving like an uptight, stiff…

I cursed myself inwardly. I can't use derogatory terms against my own people. Four was nice because he wasn't behaving towards me like I was a princess and that's all.

* * *

TOBIAS

We jumped the camp, Zeke and Uriah going for the boy and holding him tightly by the arms, twisting them uncomfortably. Shauna and Marlene lunged for Christina shoving a rag into her mouth when she tried to cry for help. Lynn held a dagger in her teeth and grabbed the older girl roughly by the arm, yanking her up and pressing the knife against her throat.

That left only Tris, who had managed to sleep through the whole ordeal. Christina had spit out the rag and yelled, causing Tris to jerk awake. She sat up and shouted something unintelligible. I snuck up from behind her and wrapped my arms around her chest, pressing a hand to her mouth when she tried to scream, only to receive a sharp pain in my palm. Did she just bite me? I released her, kind of disgusted and she scrambled for something, probably a sword. I kicked her in the side, causing her to wince. Wow, I actually felt kind of bad for that. "What the hell are you doing?" she hissed when she saw me.

"This is _our_ cliff, get up and fight me." She protested, which ended up pissing me off. I snapped at her and threw a sword down in front of her. "Get up, Stiff."

I knew I had struck a nerve because she was instantly on her feet, sword in hand. "What is the point of this?"

"You want to live in Dauntless, right?" I asked. She nodded. "Well, consider this your initiation. If you can beat me, you can make it in there. If not," I shrugged. "You may as well pack up and go back from wherever you came from." I tried not to laugh when her face turned pink.

"Fine," she replied. "But if I win, you take your passé elsewhere and leave me and my friends alone."

"And this becomes _our_ cliff!" Christina called, earning her a hard slap from Marlene, who grinned at me.

Tris nodded, glancing at her friend. "That, too."

"Fair enough," I said. "But if _I_ win, consider yourselves banished from Dauntless."

She shrugged, extending a hand. "Shake on it."

I smiled grimly and stuck my hand out, taking hers and gripping tightly. She applied just as much pressure before shaking once. We stepped back from each other, holding our swords tightly and assuming a fighting stance. She was immediately on the offense, lunging forward. I sidestepped easily. She swung her blade after me, bringing it above her head and slashing down. I raised my own sword and the two clashed, causing a metallic screech. I pulled back, swaying on the balls of my feet. .

She growled, coming after me again. For whatever reason her swing was way more powerful and resulted in a slash in my side, right through my tattoo. That bitch.

"Oops," she sang. Heat rose to my face. This time I attacked, snarling at her. I swung my sword at her face and she dodged, catching my sword in hers. She shoved back, hard, and I almost fell. Thankfully I caught myself at the last minute. I snarled again, swinging at her. She dodged, ducking. She somehow evaded every attack I sent at her. I growled, slashing left and then making an arc around when she moved to the right, catching her cheek with the tip of my sword. Blood streamed down her face and I grinned. "Oops."

She glared at me and ran at me. I was surprised at her attack and stumbled back a little. She moved right and I moved left, but she surprised me again by pulling my move on me. Her sword connected with my wrist and I dropped my sword, hissing in pain. She dropped and rolled, grabbing my sword. I attempted to step on her, but she moved out of the way before I could do any damage. Damn, she was good.

She stood up, holding my sword and hers in an 'X' over her face. She forced me back until I felt my heels slip over the edge of cliff. I swung my arms trying to catch my balance. My heart pounded in my ears and true fear clutched at me. I felt the momentum of falling before she lunged forward, gripping my forearm and yanking back. We both stumbled, resulting in me landing hard on her chest. She wheezed heavily before flipping me onto my back and sitting on me, pinning me to the ground.

"I win," she said.

I narrowed my eyes before grinning at her. Zeke, Shauna, Uriah, Marlene and Lynn began to guffaw and released her friends. Zeke made his way towards us. "I'm Zeke," he said. He stretched out his hand to her and she took it, cautiously. "No need to be afraid, little lady. I'm sure you could hold your own against me, especially if you managed to take out Four." He hoisted her up and I took a deep breath, now that I didn't have a hundred pounds on my chest.

"I'm Tris," she replied, panting heavily.

Uriah walked up and Zeke slung his arm across his shoulders. "This here is Uriah, my little knuckleheaded brother."

Christina moved so that she stood behind Tris and the boy stood in front of her and the other girl. "These are my friends, Christina, Will and Cara," Tris said, gesturing to each of them as she said their names. The rest of my "passé", as Tris called them, introduced themselves. Zeke made sure to mention that Uriah and Marlene were dating, causing both of them to go red in the face and deny it.

I was talking to Will when I noticed Tris attempting to wash her cheek. I made my way over. "You put up quite a fight for such a little girl," I said.

She grimaced. "Is that a compliment or an insult?"

I shrugged. "Take it as you will. I, of course, meant it in a good way. Anyway, you need any help with that? It's kind of nasty."

She sighed and nodded. "I have to admit, I wouldn't have been able to beat you if I hadn't also been able to learn from you."

What the hell was she talking about? I wiped her cheek with a wet cloth I took from Lynn. It was probably the cloth she had shoved in Christina's mouth, but oh, well. "What do you mean?"

She grinned sheepishly. How adorable. "I observed the way you moved while you fought and copied you. It ended up working out well."

I grinned. This girl was so weird. "So you come from Erudite?" That was the only explanation as to why she wouldn't have feared Erudite thieves.

"What? No," she said, laughing. "Abnegation. Why would you assume Erudite?" Wait, Abnegation? That's how I knew her! Her parents must have been friends with Marcus…

"Hey, in my defense, Erudite's are generally quick learners _and_ quick to adapt under pressure. I bet you'd fit in perfectly there."

She offered a small shrug. "Probably better than how I fit in back home."

I frowned, knowing exactly what she meant. Abnegation is uptight and stiff. If you aren't just as boring as everyone else in that god forsaken kingdom, you're wrong. "Yeah, Abnegation seems like a great place, but in actuality it's pretty tough to get along there. Too many rules and conducts." I shook my head-I was saying too much- and smiled at her. "Well, you're all cleaned up, although that might leave a scar. Sorry about that."

She completely disregarded me and instead reached for my hand. She groaned when she saw the cut on my wrist and held out her hand. I plopped the rag into her awaiting palm, chuckling. She was just so cute.

Ugh, stop it, Tobias. You can't afford to fall for some runaway from Abnegation.

She began to clean my wrist and it felt like she was sending small shocks up my arm each time her fingers grazed my skin. "I can clean myself up, you know. I'm used to these kinds of injuries," I said, nervously.

She shook her head, refusing. I chuckled, shaking my head right back. But not at her, rather myself. If I didn't keep thinking about how cute she was I was going to develop a serious problem. "Don't worry about it," I replied. A stray piece of hair fell into her eyes and I brushed it back, tucking it behind her ear. She glanced at me curiously and I pulled my hand back.

_Shit._

"Hey, Four!" Zeke yelled. "If you're done flirting, why don't you join us? Turns out Christina didn't actually mean that this was their cliff. The girl's going to let us stay, isn't she the sweetest?"

Christina yelled something at him before slapping his arm. Tris smiled at me and wiped up the last bit of dried blood from my arm. I nodded at her, grateful, before jogging over to Zeke and tackling him. Messing around with him and the others might get my mind off of this girl. This weird, bad ass, smart, witty, impossibly cute girl that had been on my mind since I saved her life yesterday.

* * *

**Wasn't that fun? I added some slight fluff for you guys, between Will and Christina as well as everyone's favorite, Fourtris. R&R!**

**_Al**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh, man. You guys are going to hate me for this chapter. Anyway, I've decided to throw a new perspective into the story to make it more interesting. Let me know if you like reading in Caleb's perspective or if you'd prefer I keep it just Tobias and Tris. However, I think you'll find that as the story's plot thickens, Caleb's perspective is actually quite convenient. Enjoy chapter three!**

**Disclaimer: Nope... still don't own Divergent (damn it).**

* * *

CALEB

Peter was definitely a jerk. I was beginning to see why Beatrice had run away. I was currently in Amity woods with Peter and a few guards on a search for Beatrice. But my sister was smart, if she didn't want to be found she wouldn't be.

Peter was snoring loudly against the trunk of a large apple tree. I rolled my eyes. He was pathetic. He was cruel and ruthless and not very smart, either. Although that may just be because I was somewhat of a super genius. And when I say that, I'm being modest.

Beatrice had been missing for four days at this point and after the first night had passed with no sign of her, my mom freaked out. Peter's parents were outraged and I know my dad wasn't too happy himself. I think my mom was more sad than angry, but who can blame her? She was basically betrayed by her own daughter. I mean, Beatrice had to have known why my parents were forcing her to marry this asshole. It's the only way to gain legit soldiers to fight in Abnegation's name, instead of our "soldiers"—who are really just people who wear chain mail and distribute oatmeal to people whose homes have been lost during battles.

I'm just glad someone had thought to train Beatrice and me with a sword. I had never really picked it up, but I could handle myself. Beatrice had been a natural at the fighting stuff. I was smarter and a lot nicer than her, so it didn't really bother me that she had me beat at swordplay. Besides, when would we ever need it?

Well, back then it hadn't seemed important. But now that we're on the brink of a war between the five kingdoms and the fact that I'm in the middle of hippy land with an insane prince, I'm more than grateful that I understand how to maneuver a sword.

I sighed, leaning my head back against the tree. Peter insisted on searching Amity, even though I told him Beatrice wouldn't have come here. She's smart enough to know that Amity would send her back as soon as they recognized her, as well as Erudite, for that matter, if they didn't execute her first. Dauntless was the only realistic option and for whatever reason, Peter wouldn't believe me. I'm assuming he's frightened of Dauntless or something else pride-bashing; else we'd have been their days ago, instead of this apple orchard.

I stood and nudged him with my foot. "C'mon, Peter. Let's finish checking this stupid orchard so we can go search a more logical place."

He grumbled as he opened his eyes. "What time is it?"

I threw my hands up, exasperated. "I don't know, Peter. I can't see the sun through these damn trees! I don't want to spend another night here so I'm giving you two options: we ride through the rest of this orchard and go on our merry way, in the opposite direction of Amity, or we go on our merry way now."

"We finish the search here. We'll head to Dauntless next." Finally, an intelligent decision. There was no doubt in my mind that we would find Beatrice hiding somewhere in Dauntless. Now to just get through this place and I'll be home that much sooner.

* * *

TRIS

We spent the day at the cliff, taking turns diving into the waters below us. I was a little nervous at first, considering yesterday I had been kicked into the water. That reminded me, where the hell did our horses go?

Anyway, Christina and Will were really hitting it off. They had been inseparable since we first found him and Cara, much to Cara's annoyance. Although she and Lynn had become fast friends, probably because they were both exasperated watching their siblings flirt.

Speaking of which, Zeke and Shauna had also been inseparable, even going so far as to jump off of the cliff whilst kissing. Uriah jokingly asked Marlene if she would do that with him, but he didn't deliver it well and it ended in an awkward moment between the two of them, causing Four and Zeke to fall over they were laughing so much.

I was sitting by myself in the sun, attempting to dry my hair out when a shadow blocked the rays. I glanced up and saw Four standing over me. "How come you're not hanging out with the rest of us?"

I held up my damp hair and shook some of the water on him. "Just drying off."

He smirked, making my heart flutter. Geez, Tris. Get it together. It doesn't matter if he is quite possibly the cutest boy you've ever met¸ you did not run away from an arranged marriage to fall for some guy. "Mind if I sit?" he asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

I nodded, patting the ground next to me. "I'd be honored."

He plopped down beside me. "You know, I'm kind of glad I saved you yesterday."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

He nodded, squinting his eyes and looking away from me. "If I hadn't met you yesterday and realized you were actually kind of nice, I probably would've killed you during our fight. But since I knew that you weren't deserving of death, I decided not to try my best."

I laughed. "You're kidding, right? You seemed pretty pissed out there to me-"

"Of course I'm kidding," he interrupted, nudging my shoulder. "Who taught you to fight like that?"

I shrugged. "Some guy my parents hired. His name was Marcus or something, he was pretty adamant that my brother and I learn to fight." Four stiffened at the name Marcus. "Hey, you okay?"

He nodded, "yeah. Yeah, of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" he rambled.

"I couldn't say, Four."

* * *

TOBIAS

We decided to skip patrol and instead spend our day at the cliff, celebrating something. I don't know what exactly we celebrated, but Uriah and Zeke seemed to have an idea so I went with it. We all dove off the cliff, but Tris seemed a little nervous at first. But once she got into it, she seemed to have a great time.

I had been sitting with Uriah and Marlene, which was incredibly awkward, when I noticed Tris was sitting by herself away from the group. I excused myself and made my way over. "How come you're not hanging out with the rest of us?"

She smiled and shook her wet hair on me. "Just drying off."

I smirked. There she goes, being cute again. I took a deep breath to calm my stupid heart before asking to sit. She nodded, patting the ground beside her. "I'd be honored."

I sat beside her, pulling on of my knees up to my chest and resting my elbow on it. Before I knew it, I had said something stupid. "You know, I'm kind of glad I saved you yesterday."

She glanced at me, raising an eyebrow. "Oh?"

I looked away, hoping she wouldn't see the color in my cheeks. Well, there was no stopping now. "If I hadn't met you yesterday and realized you were actually kind of nice, I probably would've killed you during our fight." Wow, great pick-up line, Tobias. I'm sure she'll want to be with you after that one. "But since I knew you weren't deserving of death, I decided not try my best."

Dammit. She looked mildly offended even though she was laughing. "You're kidding, right? You seemed pretty pissed out there to me-"

Well, it's a now or never save. "Of course I'm kidding," I blurted, nudging her. "Who taught you to fight like that?" Ah, yes. Change the subject. Good idea.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Some guy my parents hired. His name was Marcus or something…" She was still talking, but I had frozen up at that name. That damn name that plagues my dreams. She was staring at me, concerned. "Hey, you okay?"

Words rattled off my tongue, even though I didn't mean to say them. My default lie setting, I suppose. "Yeah. Yeah, of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

She sighed. "I couldn't say, Four."

* * *

CALEB

Amity proved faulty, like I knew it would. We were now on our way to Dauntless, which is the basically the farthest kingdom from Amity. Funny, because it's the closest to Abnegation. We would probably have caught up with Beatrice and been on our way back home if we had followed my instincts. No matter now, I suppose.

Peter was honestly making me more and more angry. He couldn't keep his mouth shut for five minutes and everything he spoke about somehow ended up to be some sort of self-appraisal. The guy is really full of himself.

We rode on for another day. Of course nothing exciting happened. I think I've been more bored out here, on this "adventure" as Dad called it, than I ever was in Abnegation. And that's saying something.

Peter stopped his horse. "We're about to enter Erudite."

"What? Why would we be going through Erudite?" I cried.

He glanced at me, hesitantly. "I need to speak with someone."

"Are you serious? You brought me along for a personal meeting?" I began to turn my horse around. "I'm going to Dauntless myself."

"No!" Peter shouted, almost desperately. "I need your help."

I narrowed my eyes. "Peter, what could you honestly need form me-"

"You aren't going to like it," he muttered. "But I'm going to help Jeanine in the war. And she promised she would keep you and your family safe if you agreed to help, as well."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. This was wrong. I would be betraying my father by agreeing to help. I squeezed my eyes shut and pinched the bridge of my nose before sighing loudly and turning my horse to face Peter.

Helping him was logical, it would save my family. I may even be able to argue to leave Abnegation out of this war completely. I shoved the nagging voice that was screaming betrayal to the back of my mind.

* * *

TRIS

I was almost offended that no one had come looking for me. I mean, not that I would go with them, but I was still family and a princess, right?

Christina, Will, Cara and I had joined Four and his patrol groups. They had convinced us that it was a lot safer on the boundary and that no one was going to get past them, so we were safe from anyone looking for us. Not that anyone was.

A week had passed and we decided to celebrate our first week as unofficial Dauntless patrol by having a camp out on the cliff, as suggested by Uriah. Lynn lay on the ground, tossing a b ox of matches in the air. "Someone go get some firewood, it's going to get cold."

I glanced at Christina who shrugged. "We'll go," I suggested, standing up.

Will stood as well. "I'll help."

I chuckled as the two of them walked ahead, talking and flirting. Their hands our shoulders occasionally brushed and their flustered reactions were almost too much to bear. I decided I would give them privacy and began to gather twigs, assuming they wouldn't do much work themselves. I had a pretty decent bundle after a few minutes so I decided to find my friends.

I looked around for them but Will and Christina were nowhere to be found. "Guys?" I called. I heard a snap behind me and whirled around a smile plastered on my face. Christina was probably trying to scare me. I turned, grinning and was greeted by a tall man in Candor army. He held a sword above his head and I gasped, dropping my sticks. He lunged for me and I stumbled back, tripping over my discarded sticks and falling back. I stared up at him as he loomed above me, holding his sword high. I screeched as he brought it down on me again and rolled to the side. I swung my legs around, sweeping them under his feet. He toppled over and I stood up and sprinted back to the camp. I was slapped and scratched by braches and my lungs burned, but I didn't stop. I skidded to a halt when I reached the cliff, panting.

"Tris? Where's the wood?" Lynn asked.

"And Will and Christina?" Cara added, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

I shook my head. "Candor soldiers… in the woods… Will and Christina… missing…"

"What do you mean, 'missing'?" Cara hissed.

I took a deep breath and blew out slowly, catching my breath. "They went ahead of me and when I began to look for them they weren't there. Then I was attacked by a Candor knight."

Four was by my side in an instant, brushing leaves from my hair. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just worried about the other two." I looked over at Cara and saw two horses tied to a tree behind her. "Whose are those?" I asked suspiciously.

Marlene shrugged. "Two guys seeking refuge or whatever."

As she said that, Peter and Caleb, of all people, stepped out from behind a tree. I gasped and stepped back, my hand fluttering to my heart. They looked up and locked eyes with me. "Beatrice!" Caleb cried, running towards me. He grabbed my hands in his. "Are you okay? What are you doing here?"

"Fine," I whispered, my mouth dry.

Peter moved forward slowly. "My lady," he murmured. "I was so worried. But now that I've found you we can return home and be wed."

I cringed, pulling away from Caleb and into Four. He wrapped an arm around me protectively. "Tris isn't going anywhere she doesn't want to."

Peter glared at him. "I am a prince. Prince of Candor, to be exact. I was promised a princess and a princess I will have."

* * *

CALEB

I followed Peter into Erudite. The guards received us and led us to a palace, where we were met by a tall, brunette woman dressed in a blue gown. "Peter," she said, kissing his cheek. "Welcome."

He smiled at her before bowing his head. "My lady."

She glanced at me, her lips turned up in some sort of unpleasant smile. "This must be Caleb, Prince of Abnegation. I have to say, Peter, I'm surprised you convinced him to join you."

I raised my chin defiantly. "I came of my own accord."

"Hm. I suppose you did." She turned away from me and smiled sweetly at Peter before linking his arm through his. "Let's discuss matters in a more private section of the palace."

I sighed as he fell into step with her and followed them, folding my hands behind my back. We stopped in a huge room. "In order to prevail we need to take out Abnegation and Dauntless," Jeanine said. She looked at me. "That's where you come in. IF you can get my army into the palace so I can assume control-"

"Why in the hell would I do that?" I shouted, aghast.

She looked slightly affronted at my interruption, but I could care less. "I'll find a way in regardless," she said, her tone icy cool, "but if you help me you can save your family. No one has to die. But if I have to wait, I will be angry and there will be casualties, you and your family amongst them. I am not a patient woman, Caleb."

My face burned. She was serious. She was making me choose between betraying my family and letting my family die. My father was right. She truly was the epitome of evil. My choice was obvious, I was Abnegation after all, and therefore I was selfless. I took a deep breath. "What do you need me to do?"

The plan was simple. Peter and I would continue our search for Beatrice like nothing had changed and when we found her, we would return to Abnegation with glory. I would propose a feast in honor of the princess' return and all of the nobles would be invited. In the midst of the celebrations, Peter and I would go get the Erudite army and let them into the palace through a series of servant's tunnels underneath the palace floors. The army would storm the party and take the nobles prisoner and then Jeanine would come in and assume control of Abnegation, conquering it for Erudite. Foolproof.

We stayed with Jeanine for a few nights before setting off for Dauntless. Now that I was on his side, Peter had warmed up to me and although he was still an egotistical ass, I almost didn't mind him. We were soon in Dauntless territory and coming up on a small cliff, filled with seven or so people. They didn't look much older than Peter and me and were probably just Dauntless patrollers taking the night off. We stopped at the edge of the clearing and Peter sent some of his guards to search the surrounding woods.

Peter hopped off of his horse and grabbed the reigns. "Follow me lead," he whispered. I slipped off of my horse, as well, and led it onto the cliff. Peter held his arms up in mock surrender when two boys and a short-haired girl lifted their swords.

The girl held her sword to his throat. "You have thirty seconds to explain why you're here," she hissed.

He whimpered like a small child and his eyes were crossed as he inspected the blade against him. Part of me wondered whether he was actually that terrified of her or if it was just for show. "L-look! It's almost dark and we're scared and lost! We'll be out of your hair by tomorrow, I swear. We just need a place to sleep for tonight."

God, he sounded pathetic. It must've convinced the girl because her fierce gaze had softened into a mere scowl and she didn't apply as much pressure to his throat as she glanced around at her comrades.

A tall, dark-haired boy stepped forward. "You can sleep here, but if either of you tries anything, I will kill you."

I gulped. He looked like he meant serious business and there was no doubt in my mind that he actually would kill me. I stared at him, fearfully, until I realized that I recognized that face. He looked exactly like the man who taught me how to fight, Marcus Eaton, a close friend and adviser of my parents. I opened my mouth to ask him about it but found myself being towed away by Peter as he muttered some excuse about having to piss.

He pulled me back into the wood, out of earshot of the others. "Do you think Beatrice will be with them?"

I pondered that. It definitely seemed like something she would do—join forces with a group of bad ass Dauntless patroller's in an effort to remain protected. I shrugged. "It's definitely possible. We should just wait it out and see if she shows up by morning. If not, we keep looking."

He nodded. "I hope she's with them, I just want to get her and get going." He grinned somewhat cruelly. "I'm almost excited for this war."

And in that moment, I realized Peter was insane. He was cruel, malevolent and power-hungry. And I was going to help him recapture my little sister and marry her, nonetheless help him and an even worse person take over my home. But if I didn't help, my parents and most of my friends would be killed. Wouldn't they rather live as prisoners or soldiers than die painful deaths?

My thoughts were interrupted by a girls frantic shouts and my heart fluttered in anticipation. The voice sounded identical to Beatrice's. Peter and I shared a glance before making our way back to the camp. I smiled, relieved when we stepped out of the woods. Beatrice stood next to the boy who threatened us, who was currently combing the brush out of her hair.

She turned and looked at us and gasped, almost falling backwards. Her eyes locked with mine and I jogged to her side, pushing the boy away from her. Even if I was about to betray her, I was still her older brother and no guy was going to get with her. Other than Peter, of course. I cringed inwardly at the thought. I grasped her hands in my own. "Are you okay? What are you doing here?"

"Fine," she whispered, her eyes wide and shocked. She had really only answered one of my questions and I was about to say something else when Peter interrupted.

"My lady," he murmured, creeping towards her. I denied the instinct to step in front of her protectively. By not protecting her now, I was actually protecting her in the long run. At least that's what I kept telling myself. "I was so worried. But now that I've found you we can return home and be wed."

She cringed, pulling away from me and into the guy. My anger flared as he wrapped an arm around her. "Tris isn't going anywhere she doesn't want to."

Peter glared at him, balling his fists at his side. "I am a prince. Prince of Candor, to be exact. I was promised a princess and a princess I will have." Oh, no. This was going to get bad. At the mention of the word 'princess', the group of people exchanged surprised looks and before all looking at Beatrice.

The guy with his arm around her shook his head. "What are you talking about?"

Peter scoffed. "Come on, you're telling me you idiots didn't recognize her?" His question was answered with blank stares and he laughed. "Well, then let me introduce to you Princess Beatrice of Abnegation."

The boy holding her gasped and stepped back whilst Beatrice glared daggers at Peter. This was definitely about to get bad. "Peter," she warned. "Stop."

"Tris," the boy said, "what is he talking about? You're a princess?"

The girl with the short hair crossed her arms. "Dishonest from the first moment we met her. I'm real glad we let her infiltrate us. She's probably an Abnegation spy."

"What? No!" Beatrice protested. She glanced desperately at an older girl who moved to her side.

"Tris wasn't lying to you, not really. It was more like… hiding the truth."

The short haired girl scoffed. "What are you then? An Erudite spy? So what, are Erudite and Abnegation allies now? I guess Candor is in on it, too, considering this guy's the prince of Candor and Christina's from there."

Peter raised an eyebrow. "Christina? You mean my guard?" He glowered at Beatrice. "Did she help you to escape?"

Beatrice shook her head wildly. "No! Leave her out of this, Peter-"

"Sire, I found these two in the wood," a booming voice interrupted. One of his guards stepped onto the cliff holding an unconscious and bloody boy over his shoulder and gripping Christina's arm tightly. Her face was also smeared with blood.

"Will!" Cara cried, running over to the guard. She was stopped by the short-haired girl, Lynn, I believe I had heard someone call her by that.

Christina's eyes widened when they landed on Peter and she cried out, yanking away from the soldier. She ran to Beatrice's side and grabbed her arm, hiding behind her. Peter growled when he saw her. "You dishonest bitch," he spat. "How dare you betray me?"

She trembled with fear and I pressed my hand to Peter's chest. "Peter, calm down. You're scaring her." He pushed me down and grabbed Beatrice's arm, twisting it. She yelled and swung her leg around, connecting her foot to his jaw. He yelled and smacked her, hard, in the face and knocking her to the ground. Christina yelped and stumbled back, landing on her butt. She attempted to scuttle back and pick herself up but Peter gripped her by the hair and yanked her to her feet. She cried out, her eyes pooling with tears.

"Please," she gasped.

Peter's only response was to wind her hair tightly around his fist and rear back with his other hand and punch her hard in the jaw. Beatrice screamed something and attempted to tackle Peter, only to be knocked down again. He kicked her in the ribs and she wheezed heavily, glancing apologetically at Christina. "You're scum," he hissed, spitting on her face. Christina squirmed uncomfortably as he leaned close to her, pressing his lips against her neck. "And because you love Beatrice so much, I think I'll marry both of you, hm?"

Christina shook her head; blood trickled down her face from where her skin had split at her scalp. "You aren't going to marry either one of us," she whispered.

Peter guffawed loudly and threw her down next to Beatrice. He grabbed my sister's arm and held her up. He looked at me. "Let's go," he commanded. Beatrice began to scream vulgar things at him and pull away from him.

"I refuse to marry you," she hissed. She swung her arm around and hit him hard in the eye and again in the stomach, causing him to double over and lose his grip on her. She dropped on her knees next to Christina who offered a weak smile.

Peter roared and reached for Beatrice who sleekly moved out of his grasp and to the edge of the cliff. She glared at him, her eyes ablaze. "I'll jump," she shouted. "Then you can't marry me. It's illegal to marry a corpse in Abnegation and in Candor, I'm willing to bet."

My head pounded. Things had gone so wrong so fast. It was supposed to be a happy reunion, Beatrice was supposed to realize how much she had missed us and come running into our arms and then we would return home and kick start the war. But now I was watching as my only sister threatened to commit suicide. "Beatrice, please!" I called. But I knew she wasn't listening. She had eyes only for Peter, who was growing angrier by the minute.

He growled and grabbed Christina again, this time by the arm. "Fine," he shouted. "Jump. And take your whore of a traitor with you." He flung Christina at her and she shouted something before their bodies collided and they were both sent over the cliff. I screamed and tried to run after her but Peter grabbed my arm and yanked me towards the horses. He helped me onto mine and untied the two of them. I didn't even think as I urged my horse into a quick gallop. I couldn't think. My sister was dead.

I suppose our festival was now a funeral.

* * *

TOBIAS

I watched as Tris followed Christina and Will into the woods, smiling. I should've offered to join her, but she would probably rather be alone. She usually does, although there are times I'm lucky enough to get in a few private moments with her. Talking with her is much different than talking to Shauna, Lynn or Marlene. She's nowhere near as close as a friend as the other girls are, but I feel more myself around her. I can speak to her freely and I feel like I can be Tobias with her, unlike how I have to be Four around the others.

I heard Lynn yell something and noticed two boys walking onto our cliff, their arms up in surrender. Lynn lunged forward and held a knife to the younger of the two's throat. "You have thirty seconds to explain why you're here."

He whimpered and stared down at the sword to his throat, crossing his eyes. He looked and sounded so pathetic I had a hard time not bursting into laughter. I glanced at Zeke and Uriah and saw they were experiencing similar problems. "L-look!" he stammered. "It's almost dark and we're scared and lost! We'll be out of your hair tomorrow, I swear. We just need a place to sleep for tonight."

Lynn seemed almost convinced and she glanced around for one of us to make the final decision. She was tough, but she was no leader. I stepped forward, glowering at the boy. He looked like an ass and I immediately decided I didn't like him. "You can sleep here, but if either of you try anything, I will kill you." I meant it, too. I wouldn't hesitate to slash their throats.

He nodded and Lynn stepped back, sheathing her sword. He grabbed his friend and pulled him back into the woods, shouting that he had to piss. "Yeah, right," Uriah muttered. "He's probably going to go cry."

Zeke burst into laughter. "You know that's right."

Tris suddenly ran out on to the cliff, her eyes wide and her breathing frantic. The laughter and smiles dissipated and suspense filled the air. "Tris? Where's the wood?" Lynn asked.

"And Will and Christina?" Cara added, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. I'm going to go ahead and assume she was worried about Will and Christina getting up to something… inappropriate out there. We were all expecting it to happen sooner or later.

She shook her head, panting. "Candor soldiers… in the woods… Will and Christina… missing…"

"What do you mean, 'missing'?" Cara hissed.

Tris attempted to catch her breath before continuing, "They went ahead of me and when I began to look for them they weren't there. Then I was attacked by a Candor knight."

I rushed to her side and attempted to remove the twigs in her hair. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just worried about the other two." She paused. "Whose are those?" she asked, gesturing to those guy' horses.

Marlene shrugged. "Two guys seeking refuge or whatever."

The two boys came back onto the cliff at that moment and Tris gasped, stepping back. I furrowed my brow. What was going on? "Beatrice!" the older boy exclaimed, running to her side and grabbing her hands. "Are you okay? What are you doing here?"

She looked completely flustered by his appearance. "Fine," she whispered. She was so not fine right now.

The other boy moved forward. "My lady, I was so worried. But now that I've found you we can return home and be wed." _Wed_? As in marriage? I saw Tris grow increasingly uncomfortable and she pulled away from the other boy and into me. On instinct, I wrapped my arm around her and glowered at the boy.

"Tris isn't going anywhere she doesn't want to."

The boy glared at me and I returned his piercing gaze. He wasn't exactly intimidating after his blubbering display of cowardice earlier. "I am a prince. Prince of Candor, to be exact. I was promised a princess and a princess I will have."

A princess? Tris? I shook my head in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

He scoffed. "Come on, you're telling me you idiots didn't recognize her?" I glared harder at him and he laughed. "Well, then let me introduce to you Princess Beatrice of Abnegation."

I stepped back, shocked. Tris is Beatrice? It suddenly made perfect sense. That's where I knew her from. Her father, King Andrew, is friends with mine. My no-good, evil, conniving-

Tris interrupted my thoughts when her angry voice filled the awkward silence. "Peter," she warned. "Stop."

"Tris," I asked, "what is he talking about? You're a princess?" Well, obviously she was. I knew she was, now. Tris was basically Beatrice without the first syllable. She lied to us from the very beginning and we trusted her. But why had she left in the first place?

Lynn crossed her arms. "Dishonest from the first moment we met her. I'm real glad we let her infiltrate us. She's probably an Abnegation spy."

"What? No!" Tris cried. She glanced desperately at Cara, who moved to her side.

"Tris wasn't lying to you, not really. It was more like… hiding the truth." So Cara was in on it, too.

Lynn scoffed. "What are you then? An Erudite spy? So what, are Erudite and Abnegation allies now? I guess Candor is in on it, too, considering this guy's the prince of Candor and Christina's from there."

The asshole raised an eyebrow. "Christina? You mean my guard?" He glowered at Tris. His look made me mad and if I wasn't so infuriated with Tris at the moment, I might've knocked him out. "Did she help you to escape?"

Tris shook her head. "No! Leave her out of this, Peter-"

"Sire, I found these two in the wood," a booming voice interrupted. A large man dressed in Candor armor stepped onto the cliff holding an unconscious and bloody Will and gripping Christina's arm tightly. Her face was also smeared with blood.

"Will!" Cara cried, running over to the soldier. She was stopped by Lynn, who wrapped her arms around her and wouldn't release her, despite her struggles. Christina's eyes widened when she saw the two boys and she cried out, yanking away from the soldier. She ran to Tris' side and grabbed her arm, seemingly hiding behind her. Was Christina actually afraid of someone?

"You dishonest bitch," Peter growled once he noticed her. "How dare you betray me?"

Christina's face paled and she trembled. The older boy moved forward and pressed his hand to his comrade's chest. "Peter, calm down. You're scaring her."

Peter pushed him down and grabbed Tris' arm, twisting it. Her face contorted and she kicked him hard in the jaw. He cried out and smacked her hard in the face before knocking her to the ground. Christina whimpered and moved away from him. She tripped over herself and tried to crawl back but he grabbed her and pulled her up by her hair. She cried out and I winced; that had to have hurt. I glanced at my friends. None of us were moving. I don't know if it was because they felt as betrayed as I did, but for some reason none of us helped them.

"Please," Christina gasped, clawing at Peter's arm.

Peter merely tightened his grip on her hair and punched her hard in the jaw. Tris shouted at him and lunged towards Peter, but he knocked her back and kicked her in the ribs. She wheezed, poised on all fours and staring at Christina, remorse clearly etched onto her features.

Peter hissed some sort of insult at Christina and spat on her face and she squirmed. I saw a flash of something-lust? - in his eyes before he pressed his lips to her neck. This is when I should've jumped in. His guard was down and he was sexually assaulting a friend, not to mention had probably just broken a few of Tris' ribs. He murmured something I couldn't hear into his Christina's ear, but I did catch something about marriage.

Christina was shaking her head, blood streaming down her face from where he had split the skin at her scalp from pulling too hard on her hair. "You aren't going to marry either one of us," she rasped.

Peter chortled and threw her next to Tris, whom he grabbed her and hoisted up. My anger flared but I still didn't try and help. "Let's go," he shouted to his friend. Tris began to scream and kick curses at him.

"I refuse to marry you." She reared her fist back and punched him in the face and then in the stomach, causing him to double over and lose his grip. She pried herself away from him and dropped next to Christina.

Peter screamed and attempted to grab Tris who easily maneuvered away from him and to the edge of the cliff. She glared at him and she looked truly powerful. "I'll jump. Then you can't marry me. It's illegal to marry a corpse in Abnegation and in Candor, I'm willing to bet." I gasped. Suicide is selfish and here was the princess of the selfless threatening to take her own life. My heart was in my throat. I couldn't lose her. I wouldn't. There were so many things I wanted to say, so many things I wanted to do.

But I stood still.

Peter's friend had his hands on his head and he looked frantic. "Beatrice, please!" he shouted. She ignored him. She ignored everything but Peter, who grew increasingly angry by the second.

He grabbed Christina by the arm. "Fine. Jump. And take your whore of a traitor with you," he snapped. He threw Christina forward and she cried out before slamming into Tris and sending the both of them over the cliff.

The boy screamed and I think I did, too. I was at the edge of the cliff, staring over into the waves. You could still see the ripples from where their bodies had hit. Uriah and Zeke were shouting and pulling off their belts before diving into the water after them. Peter and his friend had gotten onto their horses and galloped away, Peter's soldier following, Will still in his arms. Cara screamed for Lynn to let her go and Shauna and Marlene were screaming, too. Everyone was screaming or crying.

But not me. Because I was numb. And you know what?

I just stood still.

* * *

**Well, that's the end of this trilogy! Just like Allegiant! So, uh, no hard feelings, right? **

**I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I would never do that to you guys. That's just the end to this chapter. ;)**

**So, will Tris and Christina make it? Or will they forever be lost to the sea?**

**Follow/favorite to find out in the next chapter of Not So Dainty, Tris!**

**PS- Lots of reviews make me want to work faster for you guys! ;)  
**

**Have a good (enter time of day here)!**

**_Al **

**PPS- Remember to review! **


	4. Chapter 4

**So this chapter is about 10k words. Uh... I got a little carried away. Fair warning, it gets a bit graphic at the end and I can already guess some won't like the way I end it, but I'll say it now and I'll say it again: I HAVE NO SHAME!**

**Enjoy this ridiculously long chapter and as always, please drop a review.**

**Disclaimer: Divergent was written by Veronica Roth (as it says on the cover); thus I am not the owner nor do I claim to be.**

* * *

TRIS

I was confident. Too confident. I thought I could outsmart Peter and get myself out of this mess. I was so wrong. "I'll jump!" I warned. "Then you can't marry me. It's illegal to marry a corpse in Abnegation and in Candor, I'm willing to bet."

His appearance had frightened me. His eyes were wide and angry and everything about him screamed maniac. I should've knocked him out or even killed him, but instead I tried to bait him. I should've known you can't outsmart the insane. He grabbed Christina roughly by the arm and pulled her up. "Fine," he had called. "Jump. And take your whore of a traitor with you."

What the hell was he talking about? But as soon as I heard Christina shout and saw her sailing towards me, I knew.

He had called my bluff. Christina collided hard with me, her elbow landing in my stomach. I tried to catch her and my balance, but I couldn't. Then we were falling over the edge of the cliff. I couldn't even scream; it was happening too fast. Christina was gripping my arm tightly and screaming, I think.

We plunged into the darkness; the water hit us like a hard slap. I kicked to the surface and took a deep breath, looking around for Christina. She wasn't surfacing. I dove back under the water and saw her drifting towards the bottom. I swore inwardly before propelling myself towards her. She was sinking faster than I could swim and it was only then I realized she had her sword on her. I reached her and wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling with all my might. She had stopped sinking, but I couldn't pull her up. My lungs burned and my head was starting to get fuzzy. My fingers were frozen and hard to move as I fumbled with her belt buckle. The water was making it hard to maneuver.

I reached into my boot, praying I had my dagger on me. I felt a huge surge of relief despite the impending death I faced when my fingers came in contact with a small hilt. I unsheathed it and began sawing on Christina's belt. After a few moments, it slipped off of her waist and began to sink, the metal of the buckle twinkling.

I grabbed Christina's waist again and began to kick. My head was pounding and I could hear my heartbeat boom in my ears. I pushed as hard as I could until I realized I wasn't going to make it. It's weird, facing death. If I had thought about it before, it would have terrified me. Death was the unknown. But here, now that I was facing it, I almost wanted to laugh. Because wasn't death the ultimate relief? Wasn't it an escape from everything that had hurt you, or would hurt you? Death is calm and death is good.

I closed my eyes, allowing the water to take me. I intertwined my fingers with Christina's. She was my best friend, even if I had only known her for a week. I wanted to be with her, even in death. A rough, jerky movement pulled me from my thoughts. I felt Christina's hand slip from my own and my eyes snapped open, suddenly in a panic. An arm was wrapped around my waist and I glanced up. Uriah.

I looked over and saw Zeke pulling Christina up towards the surface, as well. I began to kick, suddenly wanting to live again. Life and death are funny in that way. As soon as you're within inches of either, you do everything you can do get there.

We broke the surface and gasped for air, a small, relieved smile plastered on my face as the burning in my lungs slowly subsided. Uriah dragged me over to the beach and we crawled out of the water. Zeke was already there and had Christina on her back, attempting to plunge the water from her lungs.

"I don't know how to fucking do this!" he cried, frantic.

"I do," someone called. I turned to see Cara, along with Marlene and Shauna, jogging towards us. Lynn hung back, her arms crossed and her face molded into a scowl. Cara dropped beside Christina and began to press on her chest. After a few beats, she pinched her nose shut and opened her mouth, blowing air into Christina. She began to pump her chest again, and then repeated the cycle. Eventually, Christina began to cough. Her eyes opened and she turned to the side, coughing and puking up water.

Cara sat back on her heels, laughing a relieved sort of broken laugh whilst Zeke basically tackled Christina in a hug. "I thought we had lost you two!" he scolded.

I shrugged. "I don't die easy," I muttered.

Christina was grinning, too. "Where's Will?" she asked.

Zeke sighed, shaking his head remorsefully. Uriah and Marlene shared a glance and Shauna placed a gentle hand upon Cara's shoulder, whose face had melted into a mask of sorrow. "They took him," she muttered darkly. "Peter's guard took him with them."

I felt rage seep into my face and I balled my fists. "Leverage," I hissed. "Don't worry, Cara. I'll go after them tomorrow—I'll do whatever it takes to get him back."

She glanced at me, her expression softening. "I appreciate it, Tris, but it's not worth it. We don't even know if he'll survive his injuries. It's illogical to risk your life for his, as much as I'd like to."

"Illogical?" Christina exploded. "Peter- he's a ruthless bastard! Do you know the torture he'll put Will through? Do you-"

"Christina," Uriah interrupted. "Enough. Cara's his sister, I'm sure she understands the consequences of her decision."

Christina's face reddened. "I'm sorry," she muttered. She stood up and began to run up the cliffside. Marlene looked like she was going to go after her but I shook my head at her.

"Let her grieve," I murmured. "Where's Four?"

Zeke shrugged, his expression angry. "He basically disappeared after that Peter guy left. I don't know where he went. I mean, it's one thing to be mad that you kind of lied to us, but to not try and help you guys? I know we didn't help much but-"

"Sometimes it's not worth it," Lynn interjected. "I happen to feel the same as Four. Why waste your time trying to save someone who lies to you? I mean, Tris made us all think she was our friend and then she ended up being nothing more than a traitor."

"Lynn, shut up," Shauna scolded. "Tris didn't betray us. She hid a piece of her past and I can kind of understand why. If word got out that the missing princess was in Dauntless, we'd be dealing with a load of crap from bounty hunters and knights from all over the five kingdoms."

Lynn shrugged. "Sounds kind of selfish to me. Is that you ran away, Stiff? You were too selfish for your selfless subjects?"

I glared at her. "I ran away to get away from Peter. I didn't want to marry some asshole you thinks I'm only good for bearing children, which apparently I wouldn't even be good at, thanks to my Abnegation roots. Regardless, I don't love him and I refuse to marry out of convenience."

Lynn had her hands over her heart and her face was screwed up into some bullshit expression. "How sweet. Isn't she just adorable?" she asked Marlene.

"Leave me out of this," she muttered. "You can be mad at Tris for whatever stupid reason you want, but don't drag me into your petty argument."

Lynn scoffed. "You guys are full of shit. I'm out of here." She turned on her heel and began to march up the cliff, before turning and adding one last thing. "And when Tris major betrays you and hands you your asses on a silver platter, don't come crying to me."

I sighed, placing my head in my hands. Everything had come crashing down in the span of an hour. I felt a comforting hand on my shoulder and looked up. Zeke stood behind me, offering a small smile. "Don't worry about her," Shauna called. "She's pissed off and therefore behaving dramatically. She'll come around and even if she doesn't, I wouldn't waste time on her. She's quick to judge and slow to forgive."

I smiled appreciatively at them. "Thank you, guys. I- I really appreciate this."

Zeke patted my back, resulting in a loud, resonating thud. I winced and he laughed. "Come on, Princess. Let's get you to bed."

I grimaced. "Please, don't call me that."

"What? Princess?" Uriah grinned. "Whatever you say, Princess."

Shauna smiled. "Don't tease her, boys."

I glanced at these five people. Shauna, Cara, Marlene, Zeke and Uriah. Even though I had basically been dishonest from the moment we met, they still had stuck with me and had risked their lives to save mine. I glanced at Cara, who was swallowing tears. Lynn was right. I had been selfish in running away; it was time to be selfless.

...

I lay down next to Cara and Marlene. They were both sound asleep, their breathing slow and even. I quietly got to my feet and made my way to the corner where Christina lay. "You up?" I whispered. I could see eyes twitch before she offered a small nod. "I'm leaving. I'm going to offer myself in replacement of Will."

Her eyes snapped open and met mine. "You're sure?"

I nodded, breathlessly. I felt surer about this than I had running away in the first place. For once in my life, I was given the chance to be truly selfless. "Of course."

She hesitated before sitting up. "I'm coming with you."

"No way, Christina. I can't let you risk your life for me."

She scoffed. "It's not for you, dummy. It's for Will." She cocked her head and smiled softly. "Are you in?"

I chuckled. "Of course." I stood up and held out my hand for her. She grasped it and stood next to me. "This would go much faster if we could just find those damn horses," I muttered.

She nodded in agreement and began tossing her belongings into a bag. She crept over to where Uriah lay and grabbed his belt, fastening it around her waist. When I gave her a questioning look, she merely shrugged. "He's the son of a knight, I'm sure he has plenty extra."

We gathered all of our belongings and offered one last look to our friends. We shared a glance before slipping into the woods, back towards where this all began.

I was going home.

* * *

TOBIAS

I don't know where I was going. But as soon as Tris had disappeared under the waves, I ran. Once I had gotten over the initial shock of it, that is. I don't know why I had cared so much. She turned out to be the enemy—an Abnegation royal. They're all the same. Rude, full of themselves, cruel… I would know. I was one of them for the majority of my life.

But I was falling for her. I really did like her. She was mysterious- but I suppose that was only because she was harboring secrets from us. As angry as I was, and as angry as I wanted to remain, I couldn't help but understand why she had kept this from us. I understood what it was like to have a secret that you couldn't share. I'm sure she had felt angry and bitter that she couldn't tell me-

Stop, Tobias. You can't make excuses for others who wrong you anymore. I had spent too much of my life making excuses for my father. _He took mom's death hard; he's just releasing his anger_. Or, _it's just his way of showing his love for me. He's a more physical guy_. I scoffed at myself. I had been so naïve back then. As soon as I had wised up, I got myself the hell out of there.

I stopped running for a moment and leaned against a tree. I had no idea where I was, which might prove to be a bit of an inconvenience. I had eventually hoped to return to my friends, maybe Tris, and find out what exactly had happened.

I heard voices and quickly scampered up the tree, pressing myself on top of a branch. Two Erudite soldiers walked past, quietly speaking to each other. "I heard we're going to breach the Abnegation palace. Jeanine promised no casualties, but I don't know if I can keep that promise," the taller of the two chortled.

His partner laughed, as well. "Those filthy Stiffs are going to get what's coming to them, eh? I can only hope I get the honor of beheading that little twerp Caleb. Wasn't he the most obnoxious thing?"

"You bet he was. Who do you think is going to pull the plug on the king and queen?"

"Jeanine, most likely. She's one of the most ruthless people I've met- if she wasn't queen I'm sure she'd have more kills than the whole army combined."

"I think she already does." The two men erupted into laughter and continued. I however, felt heavy. They were going to attack Abnegation. I didn't care, but that was Tris' world, even if she ran away. I had to warn her.

* * *

CALEB

My heart hurt. I mean, I'm sure it wasn't my physical heart, but figuratively, it was broken. Beatrice and I had obviously had our differences, but I never wanted things to end this way. I never wanted to see my baby sister die.

And now I was stuck with her murderer, pretending everything was okay. I was filled to the brim with hatred for Peter but there was nothing I could do about it. At least not until after the attack. I suddenly felt ill to my stomach. I was riding with my sister's killer to help him lead an attack on my own family and people. It was too late to pull out now; if I did, even more people would suffer. This way, Jeanine swore to me she would do her best to minimize the killing. She promised me that my parents would definitely not be amongst the dead. That was the only thing that kept me going at this point.

I don't know how long we rode for, but we never stopped to rest. I think we lost two guards along the way, but the one holding Will, his name was Drew, never stopped pushing forward with us. At one point I offered to let him ride my horse, but he refused. The days and nights passed by uneventfully, although I didn't really notice their passing, I was too caught up in my own grief. Soon, we reached Abnegation and began our shameful tread through the city to the palace. My parents greeted us at the front gate, but their smiling faces soon disappeared when they took in my sad and disheveled state. I knew that if I attempted to utter a word I would break down and sob and admit everything to them, so instead I merely shook my head.

My mother nearly collapsed and my father had to wrap his arms around her to keep her upright. She sobbed broken sobs and my father allowed a few tears to leak from his eyes. Peter told everyone how she had died, miraculously sacrificing herself for him to live. That bastard, romanticizing her death like that. Each time he opened his mouth, every fiber of me begged me to scream that he was a liar and a killer, that he was the one who pushed her over that cliff.

After a few days, when I had found my voice again, the first words I said were a proposal to have a kingdom-wide funeral. All were welcome to come mourn for their princess, together. Nobles and factionless alike. My parents agreed immediately, most likely assuming this would help my grief. Little did they know it would only add to it.

The funeral was planned to happen in four days, just enough time for the Erudite army to get here. How they planned to get here undetected, I had no idea. I would leave that up to Peter and Jeanine. I wanted no more part in this than I was already playing.

The days continued to pass and I found myself growing number. My chest didn't ache as much; unless it did and I had grown so accustomed to it I no longer felt it. My thoughts were less frequently plagued with her face and her voice. On the day of the funeral, I stood in her room.

"Oh, Beatrice," I murmured. "Please forgive me." I lay on her bed and sobbed. I was pathetic and I was no man. I sobbed into her pillow and breathed in her smell. My baby sister and my best friend was dead to the world and it was my fault.

My mother called me, telling me it was time to prepare for the funeral guests to arrive. If only she knew how many guests would really be attending tonight, she could've been truly prepared for the horror that lay in store.

The day was a blur. The funeral was halfway through and it was incredibly melancholy. Each guest had brought a candle and of those who could, some small gift. People who hadn't even known her were crying. My parents had set up a sort of shrine for Beatrice, considering we didn't have a body.

I was standing near the back of the room when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw Peter there. He nodded at me. "It's time."

I took one last, deep shuddering breath. I stole a glance at my parents. This could be the last time I saw them. My mother caught my eye and offered a small smile. I nodded to her and held my hand over my heart, an old gesture she used to make towards Beatrice and me. Her eyes were questioning, but she returned the gesture without hesitation. I fought back the urge to cry as I turned away from her. "Let's get this over with," I muttered.

Peter and I headed down the servants corridor, where the underground tunnel connects to the palace. I produced a key and taking a deep breath shoved it into the lock. I unlocked the door and opened it, revealing a smiling Jeanine in front of a huge army.

"I have to say, Caleb. You continue to surprise me. I thought for sure you would back out last minute. Peter dissuaded me of that and I must admit I didn't believe him. His confidence in you is inspiring," Jeanine said, pressing her hand over her heart.

I hated her.

I hated Peter.

I hated Erudite.

I hated the men standing with Jeanine, ready to kill my people.

And I hated myself for allowing this to happen.

Jeanine shoved past me and linked arms with Peter. "Shall we ride?"

He nodded. "Let's do this." Jeanine reached for me with her free arm but I jerked back. There was no way I was going to let this vile woman touch me. She pouted slightly before giving commands to her army. We began a slow procession down the halls of the castle towards the throne room where the funeral was being held. No servants were about; they were all in mourning with the rest of the kingdom. No one was to work today; even my mother's chambermaid and my father's manservant were given the day off.

We stopped behind the huge doors to the throne room. Jeanine smiled maniacally before pulling Peter and me to the side. "Attack!" she hissed.

There was a loud roar as each soldier screamed his battle cry. The doors to the throne room were shoved open and screams and gasps of horror were heard as the mourners were attacked. A few knights drew their swords and attempted to defend themselves and others, but were easily slain. My heart ached and my head throbbed as I watched my people die because of me. My parents were soon at the center of a circle, swords prodding at them from all angles.

When the slaughter was over and all but my parents lay dead or dying, Jeanine strode into the room, Peter and I in two. My face burned with shame and I trembled with rage as I looked into the faces of the dead. My own hands were drenched in blood now. For I was these people's murderer.

"I think you'll find that I control Abnegation now," Jeanine called, sitting on my father's throne. She gestured for Peter to take the one next to her. She smiled cruelly at my parents, my father in particular. "Ah, Andrew. Not a day goes by that I don't wonder about you. How you're doing, how you're running the kingdom and whose back you're going to stab. I suppose I won't need to wonder for much longer, since you'll be dead."

I stared at her in shock. "You swore to me they would live!" I screamed.

"Oh, no, dear Caleb. I promised they would not be amongst the casualties of the attack. But I never promised I would allow your dear parents to live. No, no. They will receive a special execution. I suggest you hold your tongue or you will be joining them." I couldn't even process what she just said, instead I stood, staring dumbfounded at her. I stole a glance at my parents, who were now looking at me. My father seemed angry, rightfully so, whilst my mother simply looked sad. Just like when Beatrice ran away.

Jeanine snapped. "Guards, take them to the dungeon." She smiled at me as they were dragged out. "Now wasn't this fun?"

* * *

TRIS

Christina and I were almost to Abnegation, we had but a day's journey left. We didn't speak much, both our minds preoccupied with other things. Hers with Will, presumably, and mine with Caleb. I couldn't help but feel betrayed by him. I don't know what exactly had led to the series of events that occurred those few days ago, but something about it didn't settle right with me. Caleb didn't like Peter and Caleb is very hard to convince once he settles on an opinion. The fact that he was seemingly close to Peter riled me up and I found myself incredulous to the idea that Caleb actually did like him. Something else was going on and I intended to find out as soon as I reached Abnegation.

Night had settled in and Christina and I decided to make camp in the wood. She started a small fire, a task most likely used to take her mind off of Will. I wanted to reassure her, but I didn't know how. Cara had been right, we had no idea the extent of his injuries and if he was going to make it. He could be dead, for all we know.

She lay down, her back to me. Her shoulder shook a little and I knew she was crying. She did so softly, I knew she didn't want to bother me. I cleared my throat. "Goodnight, Christina."

"Goodnight," she whispered.

"And Christina," I said, "I think everything is going to be okay."

I fell asleep eventually, after spending what seemed like hours gazing at the stars. A frantic tapping on my back woke me and I turned over to see Christina kneeling beside me. "I think someone's been following us," she whispered.

"What? Why?"

"Well, for one thing the fire was put out. It didn't just die out; if it had the embers would still be burning a bit. Someone intentionally put it out and there are footsteps around it, footsteps that are much too large to belong to either of us." She glanced around her. "I was woken up by a loud snap, like a branch being stepped on. Can we please get going?"

I nodded. I could tell she was frightened. Although she would never admit it, she was vulnerable right now with the loss of Will and as her friend I was going to do all I could to help ease her worry. "Let's go," I whispered.

She smiled at me gratefully before moving to collect her things. I helped, throwing my things hurriedly into my bag. My body protested with each step I took as I was very much sleep deprived, but there wasn't much I could do at this point. We each shouldered our bags and she had her sword drawn. We began to walk through the woods and I found I could recognize parts of it.

We stopped in front of the gates to Abnegation and my heart fluttered nervously. I reached out a hand and my fingers had barely grazed the iron bars when a voice stopped me dead in my tracks. "Don't go in there. It's not how it was two weeks ago."

* * *

TOBIAS

I had to follow them. I had found their tracks outside of what I recently decided were Dauntless woods. They stopped to rest and I had made a fool of myself by dousing their fire. I didn't want it to spread and hurt either of them. Whilst heading back to my own resting spot, I somehow managed to step on the loudest stick, causing Christina to bolt upright.

She had almost immediately moved to Tris' side, waking her up and discussing something with her in hushed tones. Then they began to pack up and I realized that Christina somehow knew that I was following them. Well, not me, necessarily, but someone.

They moved quickly through the remaining wood and were soon at the gates of Abnegation. Tris was reaching for it when I called out to her. "Don't go in there. It's not how it was two weeks ago."

She turned, her mouth falling agape when she saw me. "Four?" she whispered, incredulous.

I nodded, opening my arms. Even though we had never been touchy feely before or even very forward on our feelings towards each other, I found myself desperate for her touch. She immediately ran into my open arms, flinging her own around my waist and burying her face into my chest. I pulled her tighter against me and buried my nose into her hair. I met eyes with Christina who was smiling sadly at us. She nodded once and nonchalantly turned her back. I reached down and gently touched Tris' chin. Her face was stained with tears and I wiped her cheeks with the pad of my thumb. "I'm so sorry," I murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She closed her eyes and nodded.

"I should've been honest with you, Four."

I took a deep breath. "I should've been honest with you, too. My name's not actually Four. It's Tobias. Tobias Eaton."

She gasped. "Wait, Eaton as in Marcus Eaton?"

I nodded slowly, looking into her eyes for some sign of anger. Instead, I found only warmth as she crashed her lips against mine. I was slightly taken aback by her sudden forwardness, but soon my lips softened and I kissed back.

She pulled back, too soon for my liking, but jerked her head towards Christina. I nodded, understanding. "So what were you saying about Abnegation having changed?" Christina called, turning back to face us.

"Erudite soldiers attacked. I- they killed almost everyone. Your parents are imprisoned currently, but other than that most are dead."

"What about Caleb?" she whispered, her eyes already filling up with tears again. I hated this. I didn't want to upset her, but I knew my next answer would shatter her heart.

"Caleb's fine," I muttered. "But Tris, there's something you need to know. Caleb led the attack."

I didn't mind holding her as she sobbed.

* * *

TRIS

Once I had calmed down, I convinced Tobias and Christina to enter the city with me. Everyone wore blue, but you could tell who was native Abnegation by the individual's demeanor. If one walked with confidence and superiority, there were probably Erudite. But if one shrank with fear and seemingly hid in their blue jackets, they were Abnegation. I was enraged to see my people like this but at the time there was nothing I could do for them.

Tobias had went to get us blue clothing so we would fit in better. He was wearing blue pants and a blue tunic, Christina and I blue dresses. He brought me a head scarf to hide my face in. It wouldn't do well for people to recognize me as princess.

We walked amongst the people, observing their treatment. Erudite soldiers were awful to them and quite often we witnessed a public flogging for the mildest of offenses. One person was being beaten for wearing a gray glove on his right hand, another woman for wearing gray slippers.

We sat in a local bar that was teeming with people. Christina disappeared to try and find news about Will whilst Tobias went to get us supper. A drunken man stepped up behind me, grabbing my hand and twirling me about. "Aren't you pretty?"

I frowned. I had known this man—he was the palace gardener. "Elias," I whispered.

"Who are you?" he muttered.

I sighed, rolling my eyes. I pulled my head scarf back a little. "It's me."

He looked at me suspiciously before breaking out into a smile. He yipped and grabbed me into a hug, swinging me around before setting me down. "Princess-"

"Sh, Elias. Please, call me Tris."

He nodded. "Tris it is, then. In case you haven't noticed, this isn't exactly Abnegation anymore."

"Of course it is!" I hissed. "I need to know what happened."

"Well, it started when your traitor of a brother let Erudite soldiers in through the servant's quarter. They stormed the castle and killed almost everyone inside, spare a few nobles and your parents."

"Where are they?"

"In the palace dungeons. They're- they're to be executed tomorrow morning at dawn."

I shook my head, incredulous. I had already lost Caleb and now my parents were going to be ripped away from me, too? It wasn't fair. I stepped back and my foot landed on the foot of an Erudite man who swore angrily at me.

Elias grabbed me by the arm and led me out of the tavern. "Princess, keep level-headed. If anyone is going to be able to save them, it's you and you know it. Now, I will be willing to offer my services in any way, but-"

"Tris!" Tobias and Christina came rushing out of the tavern then. Tobias rushed forward and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me away from Elias. "Who are you?"

"He's a friend," I muttered. "Tell me, Elias. What dungeon are they in?"

He shook his head, sadly. "I'm afraid I couldn't tell you. But I know someone who can. Can you meet me back here tonight at dusk?"

I nodded. "Of course. And thank you, Elias. Your loyalty will not go unrewarded."

He smiled at me. "Long live the selfless, Princess."

After a brief conversation with Christina on what she discovered about Will's whereabouts, she decided to stay and scope out the city. We agreed to rendezvous at dusk at the tavern, despite Tobias' refusal. Christina left us and Tobias led me out of the city and back into the woods. "Tris! Are you crazy?" he exploded once we were about a half a mile away from the city gates.

"What are you talking about?" I hissed.

"You shouldn't reveal your identity like that. He could be a traitor!"

I scoffed. "I grew up with Elias, I'm certain I can trust him. He's a good man and a loyal subject."

"You grew up with Caleb," he pointed out. "But we couldn't trust him."

I gasped. "How dare you? How dare you use my brother against me?" I glared at him and he returned my gaze. I screamed in frustration and turned on my heel, pressing my hands against my temples. Everything had come crashing down so suddenly. My brother had betrayed me and now my parents were going to die.

"Tris, I'm just being realistic, here. You can't trust anyone anymore. You don't know whose allegiances have changed."

I sighed. "Tobias- enough. I'm going to meet him."

"Why? Why do you feel the need to be a hero?"

"Because my parents are going to hang tomorrow if I don't do something about it!" I screamed, turning on him and shoving him. I shook my head and my knees buckled. I sat in the dirt with tears pooling in my eyes. "They're going to die and it's my fault."

"Tris, it's not your fault."

I nodded sadly, looking up at him. "If I had just married Peter, Caleb would've never left with him. He never would've met Jeanine and betrayed my parents. If I hadn't been so damn selfish none of this would have happened."

He sank down beside me and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. "You can't know that," he murmured. "You can't possibly know that if you had pledged to live an unhappy life that none of this would've happened." He pressed his lips to my forehead softly and I grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and rocked.

Soon, dusk was almost upon us. I glanced up at him, pleading with my eyes. He sighed. "Fine. But I'm not leaving your side."

* * *

TOBIAS

I stood with Tris next to the tavern. We were waiting for Christina and the Elias guy, as well as whomever he had promised to bring. Tris was anxious and kept hopping from one foot to the other. I was beyond worried about her. People don't just get thrown off of a cliff only to come back and find out that their brother betrayed her parents who are now facing execution and remain sane. She was going to do something bad and I knew the only thing I could really do for her right now is to stay by her side.

Tris grabbed my hand, excitedly. "There he is!" she whispered. True enough, Elias came sauntering up to us with a man in tow.

"Princess," he murmured, bowing. "I present to you James. He was a servant in your household."

She nodded eagerly. "One of Caleb's, yes?"

The boy, James, nodded. "It's my pleasure to continue my service to the Prior household, even if not through Sir Caleb."

Her expression soured at that and I squeezed her hand reassuredly. Elias cleared his throat. "James has excellent knowledge of the palace and is still trusted by Caleb."

Tris glanced at him. "You still work there?"

James nodded. "Yes, I am Sir Caleb's manservant now. And if I may be so bold, Princess, but I don't think Sir Caleb is happy with how things are. He spends a lot of nights crying and he sneaks into the dungeons to see your parents nightly. I don't think he intended for things to go so wrong."

She took a shuddering breath. "Your loyalty and friendship to my brother is admirable, James. I need to know if you can help sneak me in to the palace though."

He nodded, hesitantly. "Yes, I can."

"Then I suppose the real question is whether or not you'd be willing to," she murmured.

He squared his shoulders and lifted his head, staring her in the eye. "Of course I will, Princess. Long live the Selfless."

Tris' eyes lit up and she gripped James' hands in her own and kissed them. "Thank you so much, James. Thank you."

Elias wrapped an arm around James and smiled. "I knew he would pull through for us."

I cleared my throat. "Tris? Can I talk to you in private?" She nodded, glancing apologetically at Elias and James before following me out of ear shot. "You're sure you trust them?"

She gave me an exasperated look and crossed her arms. "Yes, Tobias. We've already established this. I trust them, okay?"

"I'm going with you."

She shook her head. "No, you need to find Christina and help her. Besides, if I get captured then I'll need someone to save me. If you're there, you'll just be captured alongside me."

Her logic was sound, but she didn't believe it. I know she didn't, because she was so damn confident. She firmly believed that her plan was fool proof and that she wasn't going to get caught. I also know she just didn't want me along because she was afraid I would judge her if I saw her at her most vulnerable, which broke my heart. Going against all of my instincts I nodded. "Fine. But if I hear even a whisper of trouble-"

She smiled at me and kissed my cheek. "I know, I know. Knight in shining armor. Now c'mon, we need to make a plan."

* * *

CALEB

I sat outside of my parent's cell. My father still refused to talk to me, hell; he wouldn't even look at me. My mother was more understanding. She claimed she knew why I did it, that she understood the pressure I was under. I couldn't be blamed because I was a child who had been lied to. I thought I was doing right by them.

But she was wrong. I'm not a child anymore and hadn't been for a while. And I knew it was wrong. From the moment Peter dragged me into Erudite, I knew how wrong it was. But I chose not to listen to my conscience. I chose to trudge forward anyway and now look at me. Sitting in a dank, dismal dungeon giving my final goodbye's to my parents.

I was still enraged at Jeanine's dishonesty, but I don't know what I expected. She was a tyrant, a force of pure evil. Why I ever believed she would allow my parents to keep their lives I'll never understand. One thing I did know, however, was that I would do whatever it took to kill Jeanine and Peter.

"Mom- I am so sorry," I whispered, grasping her fingers through the prison bars. "I never meant for any of this to happen, but I can't make excuses for myself. I don't blame you if you never forgive me; I doubt I'll be able to. But please, just know, what I did do, the evil I committed, I thought I was doing it out of love for you."

She nodded tearfully. "Oh, Caleb, honey. I know. I want you to know that I died a proud mother, of both my children. Of you for being honest and selfless in the end, as well as Beatrice. Even though her sacrifice was for an evil man, it was still brave-"

"There's something you need to know about Beatrice," I interrupted. "She didn't sacrifice herself. She was trying to get away from Peter and he got angry. He shoved her over that cliff. He killed her and then lied about it, to gain your sympathy's. And I let it happen."

My father was livid then, his body slammed against the cage bars. He reached out and grabbed my tunic, pulling me close. "You listen here, Caleb. If you ever, ever get a chance to avenge your sister you take it. You kill Peter and you make it hurt."

My mother glanced at him, shocked. "Andrew-"

"No, Natalie. I was selfless all my life and I sacrificed a great many things. Now, on my last night on this Earth, I want to be selfish. I want to die knowing that my daughter's murder _will_ be avenged and her murdered laid to rest by my son."

I nodded. "Of course, Father. Of course I'll kill him."

He returned my nod, sinking back onto his haunches. "Leave now, Caleb. You've been down here too long."

I sighed, standing. "I love you both," I said.

He looked up and met eyes with me. "And I you, my son. And I you."

* * *

CHRISTINA

Finally someone had seen some sign of Will, I was about to go insane. A boy by the name Robert had showed me a tavern in the shady section of Abnegation where Erudite soldiers liked to have their women. I shuddered at what Will could possibly be doing here, but I knew I needed to find him, regardless.

I stepped inside of the tavern and immediately had to dodge a glass, which shattered behind me. The place was buzzing with activity, ranging from prostitutes to complete drunks. I made my way through the crowd, shoving and elbowing past people whilst attempting to avoid stepping in vomit. The place reeked.

I stopped at the bar and slammed my hands down on the table. The bartender raised an eyebrow at me, questioningly. I smirked. "I need to find a boy named Will. He's about this high and he has blonde curly hair. Probably being tossed around my some Erudite soldiers."

The bartender laughed loudly. "I know your boy, but you've got it all wrong. Tossed around, you say? Well, I'd say he's doing most of the tossing. See for yourself." He pointed to a crowd of people who were all standing in a huge circle, surrounding two men who were battling.

I made my way over and began shoving my way through this crowd until I reached the front. Will and some kid were battling it out and people were shouting wages and whatnot. Will's jaw was severely bruised as well as his ribs, but the other kid was definitely in worse shape. His nose and mouth were bleeding so that the blood combined into one, messy glob on his chin and his eyes were both pretty swollen. Both competitors had loosely wrapped bandages around their fists, which were sporting bloody knuckles.

"Will!" I screamed. He turned and glanced at me, his eyes widening in surprise. His opponent took the chance and delivered a blow to the side of the face, sending Will to the ground. I gasped and tried to run to him, but was held back by the crowd. The scraggly boy stood over Will, raising his foot over his face. "No!" I yelled, jerking my arms free of the drunken crowd and throwing myself against the boy, knocking him over.

A large man grabbed me by the collar of my dress and lifted me up. "What's a pretty girl like you doing fighting?"

"I can fight just as well as any of these men," I spat. "Now put me down, I want out of here and I want to take Will with me."

The man guffawed. "Young Will has been fighting for his freedom, my dear. Now you can join him in his quest." He dropped me down next to Will and called for two new fighters. Two huge men stepped out of the crowd, grinning.

"We take the challenge!" the man with the fiery red hair boomed.

His partner grinned, Hook, I decided to call him, shared a confident glance with the redhead. I called him Firecrotch. The man who had grabbed me smiled at the two of them. "You ready to fight?" he asked me.

I glanced at Will, who looked pretty pissed off. "Yeah," he muttered. He stood up and offered a hand to me, which I took. "Stay out of my way," he whispered.

That bastard. I crossed my arms as he charged the two men, only to result in him being kicked in the stomach by Firecrotch, which sent him flying back into Hook's arms. I rolled my eyes at him when the two of them threw him back down by my feet. "Still want me to hang back?"

"I can handle this, Christina. I don't want you getting hurt. What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Is now the time to discuss this? And Will, both those guys are twice your size. You can't take them on at the same time."

"Watch me." He was being so difficult and ridiculously overprotective. I could handle myself and balled my fists, ready to show him. Firecrotch currently had him in a full nelson while Hook punched him hard in the stomach. Again, he was sent rolling back to my feet.

"Can I help now?"

"Whatever," he growled, charging them again

I sighed and walked up to Firecrotch. "Hey, big guy!" I yelled.

He turned and snarled at me, reaching for me. I ducked away from his meaty paws and neatly slid under his legs. I kicked him in the back and then swept his legs out from under him with my feet. He slammed onto his back, leaving a crack in the floor. I grabbed a fistful of his hair and held his head up before rearing back with my free hand and slamming it into his head, hard. He slumped down, unconscious. I glanced at Will and saw he had taken out his opponent, easily now that it was a fair fight.

He came to me and cupped my cheek. "You okay?" he asked.

"Duh," I retorted. "Now come on, let's get out of here."

"Not so fast," the host man said. "You two have yet to win your freedom." Two more lumbering guys stepped into the circle. Will and I shared an exasperated glance.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

TRIS

James, Elias and I crept through the servant's quarters. It was dim and most of the torches were on the ground, probably smashed under the feet of Erudite soldiers.

Those bastards.

We reached the end of the tunnel and James produced a small key from his pocket. He unlocked the door and swung it open, ushering us through. I stopped, looking around me. It was incredibly off being in my old home. I wasn't particularly nostalgic about it, but I can't say I liked the way Jeanine redecorated. James led us through the corridors of the palace and to the back staircase, which led to the shallow dungeons, the ones where small offense criminals were put. At least my parents weren't in the dark and musty underground dungeons.

"If you don't mind Princess, this is where I'll leave you two," James said, opening the door for me.

I smiled at him. "Of course, James. Your loyalty is appreciated and will not go unrewarded when we have control of Abnegation back.

He smiled gratefully at me before kissing my hand softly. "Long live the selfless," he murmured, before turning and jogging back the way we came.

Elias cleared his throat. "I'll stand guard if you'd like, give you some privacy." I nodded and thanked him before moving past him into the dungeons. Thankfully there were windows, allowing in some sunlight so that I could see where I was going. I stalked past the various cells, most of them empty. I came to the end of the hall and peered into the cell. My mother and father sat, cuddled together against the wall.

I broke into a huge grin and dropped to my knees outside of their cell. "Mother, father!" I hissed.

Their heads snapped up and my mother cried out, her hand fluttering to her mouth. Tears shone in her eyes and she scooted forward, pressing her hands against the bars. "Beatrice- you're alive? Caleb said-"

"Caleb left before I was saved. He's a coward," I spat.

She shook her head. "Oh, no, Beatrice. You have it so wrong. Please, try and talk to him before they kill us tomorrow, you two will need each other."

"Mom, I won't let you two die. That's why I'm here—to bust you out."

My father sighed. "Beatrice, no. I just spent the last week believing you were dead. You're alive now and you need to stay that way and take back our kingdom. By trying to save us, you will end up dead. There's no doubt in my mind that your mother and I will die tomorrow. But we can die content, knowing that our children are still here."

Tears pooled in my eyes. "I don't want to lose you," I whispered.

My mother reached her hand through the bars and took mine. "My dear, we will always be in your hearts. We love you so much and are proud of you, despite everything."

"I'm sorry," I cried. "I'm sorry I ran away and acted so selfishly. We could be safe now if I had just agreed to marry Peter."

My father shook his head, smiling sadly. "We should never have pushed you, Beatrice. Go from here now and live out your days. Find someone who makes you happy and when you're ready, take back Abnegation. Long live the selfless."

I stood up and raised my chin and pushed my shoulders back, elongating my neck like my mother had always taught me. "Long live the selfless."

The next morning, I was woken up by the sound of the execution drums being beaten. I had fallen asleep in my tree, sprawled out on the broad branch. I stood up and looked over into the court yard where my parents were currently being lead. Jeanine had set up an extravagant scene. A gallows was the centerpiece, surrounding by blue flowers. I looked over at the raised platform on which she, Peter and Caleb stood and met eyes with my brother. He looked genuinely shocked and before I even knew what I was doing, I was waving him over.

He shook his head and my patience grew thin. I harshly jabbed my finger at him, then again at my feet. He hesitated a moment before nodding. I saw him say something to Jeanine before shooting me one last incredulous look and beginning to make his way over to me. He needed to hear what I had to say and I didn't care if it hurt him or not.

I was almost certain I hated him.

* * *

CALEB

The morning of the execution was a blur. I woke up, bathed, ate breakfast and donned my clothes for the day. I met Jeanine and Peter on the observatory platform and stood quietly beside them while they made idle chit chat. How they both behaved so casually merely moments before ordering someone's death, I would never understand. I was glancing around, trying to look anywhere but the gallows in the courtyard when a small figure on Beatrice's tree caught my eye. Upon further inspection, I realized it was she.

It took all I had to swallow the huge grin threatening to break out across my face. She began to wave me over and I don't think she meant to, judging by the way she looked at her own hand like it had a mind of its own. I shook my head at first, there was no way I was getting away from Jeanine and Peter, but she was insistent. I sighed and strutted over to Jeanine.

"I'm going to take a few moments to myself," I muttered. She glanced at me curiously but nodded after a few moments.

"Hey, Stiff," Peter called, grinning. "Don't be too long, you'll miss the show." I felt ill to my stomach and I wanted nothing more than to draw my sword and slash his throat. What was most sickening was the fact that he wasn't saying that to be malevolent, he was honestly concerned I would accidentally miss the execution of my parents. As if any child wants to watch as their parents' necks snap and their legs kick before simply dangling, lifeless.

I shook my head and made my way out of the courtyard and to the tree. I quickly scaled the trunk and pulled myself onto the broad branch. "Beatrice!" I exclaimed.

She crossed her arms and glowered at me. "Caleb. How could you do this?"

I gulped. "Wait- before you go on. I just want to make sure you understand-"

"What's to understand? That you betrayed your people and your family? That you're the reason Mom and Dad face execution and as far as I'm concerned, you're the one killing them."

"Beatrice, please. I only did it because Jeanine promised she would keep you safe from harm. You and Mom and Dad. She swore she wouldn't kill them, but she went back on it. I thought I could trust her."

"I thought I could trust you!" she whimpered. "You were my best friend and my older brother and you betrayed me."

My heart broke then, because she was right. "Oh, God. Beatrice, I am so damn sorry. So, so sorry. I know that no amount of apologies will ever make this up, but I hope that one day you can forgive me."

She almost looked like she was about to nod when she suddenly collapsed against me, crying out painfully. I looked down and saw an arrow protruding from her calf and next thing I know we were surrounded by Erudite soldiers, along with an oddly smug Jeanine and a very angry Peter.

Well, shit.

* * *

CHRISTINA

After about ten rounds of fighting and a lot of nasty hits and blood, Will and I had finally "earned our freedom". Whether that was because the majority of the crowd had passed out or the host had finally gotten himself piss drunk, I don't know nor do I really care.

Will and I exited the bar and immediately he pulled me into him, kissing the top of my head down to my nose and over to both cheeks before placing a soft kiss on my mouth. "I can't believe you came," he murmured.

I smiled at him. "Of course I did. Of course, Will." His lips came crashing down on mine and I wrapped my arms around his neck and he wrapped his around my waist. He was so enthusiastic that he lifted me off my feet and spun my around, all while keeping his lips firmly pressed against mine.

After a few moments he set me down and stroked my cheek. "You're insane, woman."

I pushed his chest gently. "Not as insane as you."

"Christina!" a voice called. I turned and saw Four sprinting towards me.

"Four? What's going on?"

"Tris is in the palace now searching for her parents. She promised me she would be back by midnight, but she still hasn't come out. The execution's soon and I'm worried she's going to try something stupid."

Will set his jaw. "Then we'll go to the palace now and find her. It's not too far and I learned a shortcut during my week imprisonment in the city. Let's go."

He grasped my hand in his, intertwining our fingers and pulling me down the street, Four following closely behind. After about a four minutes run we stopped outside of a huge fence. Will smiled softly at me before pulling away moving part of a bush aside, revealing a small hole. "Go through," he instructed.

Once inside, we stopped, looking around. Will shrugged. "I have no idea where to go from here."

Four took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. "I do. Follow me."

* * *

TOBIAS

I recognized this place. My father used to bring me to dinners at the palace and this garden happened to be where a lot of them occurred and I knew that there was a small, white stone paved path that would lead back to the main courtyard, where I was about ninety two percent sure this execution was taking place.

I lead Will and Christina to down the path and when we got closer to the edge of the garden, the crowd began to thicken. Guards and people alike were rioting and screaming and as we pushed through them I saw what had them so riled up.

Elias was lying on the ground, bruised and bloody with the word 'Stiff' carved into his forehead. I felt sick to my stomach knowing that this man had been a good man, loyal to Tris. I couldn't imagine what would happen if they found out she were here.

A small voice in the back of my mind spoke up then, reminding me of the incredibly strong possibility that "if" could quite possibly be "when". I shoved people out of my way, suddenly enraged and began to sprint to the courtyard. People were shouting inside and I couldn't see past the crowds. I attempted to push through, but the crowd was too thick and much too excited.

I screaming in frustration and I felt a small hand on my shoulder. Christina smiled reassuringly at me. "She'll be fine, Four. Don't freak yourself out, okay?"

I nodded, taking a deep breath and exhaling through my nose. In a few moments, the crowd grew silent. I could hear Jeanine shouting something about the execution, which caused uproar. I grew impatient and started to shove people again and for whatever reason, a path split much easier this time.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I reached the front. Jeanine held a knife over a small, pale arm. She began to carve into it and screams could be heard throughout the courtyard. I willed my eyes to look at the face of her victim and nearly fainted.

Tris.

* * *

TRIS

The soldiers had pulled Caleb and I into the courtyard, throwing us on the ground in front of the gallows. My mother and father stood upon the platform and my father trembled angrily. "Jeanine! Release them at once!"

Jeanine simply sneered up at them. "Before I execute the king and queen, should we not give them a sort of going away present? Should we not send them to the other world with the screams of their children echoing in their minds?"

The crowd screamed and my stomach clenched in nervous anticipation of what was coming. Jeanine grabbed me by my hair and pulled me away from Caleb. I winced as pressure was forced onto my wounded leg and Jeanine held me. "You will marry Peter as soon as I remind you of who you are." She snapped her fingers at a guard who handed her a dagger with a silver hilt, adorned with sapphires.

She unsheathed it and pressed the tip against my wrist. "This," she hissed, "is what you are and what you will always be. A stiff." She began to carve against my skin and the pain was so intense I began to scream. I didn't want to give her the satisfaction, but I couldn't help myself. I began to thrash and attempt to pull away from her but two guards stepped up and grabbed me around my waist, holding me in place.

She had finished the letter 'S' and was currently working on the 'T' when she snapped again. "Someone take the honor of decorating our dear friend Caleb."

He yelled and protested as guards reached for him and threw a punch, actually connecting with Jeanine's jaw, causing her to jerk the knife, leaving a long gash in my arm. Blood seeped out and stained my clothes.

Caleb was soon pinned on the ground and a guard knelt beside him, carving into his flesh as well. My mother was sobbing and begging for it to stop and my father screamed vulgar profanities at Jeanine. Nothing stopped her though and when she had finished I was seeing black around the edges of my vision due to the pain. The guards released me and I dropped down next to Caleb, who was gripping his wrist in his free hand, blood flowing through his fingers.

Jeanine's perfectly sculpted hair was now a frenzy, stray strands flying out everywhere. She panted and lifted her arm. "Pull the lever!" she screamed.

It happened in an instant. The man in the black hood pulled and my parents' dropped, their bodies bouncing for a moment before seemingly floating. Their faces turned blue and soon their tongues had swollen so much that they stuck out of their mouths.

Caleb put an arm around me and pulled me into him, shielding my eyes. I trembled and pressed my face tightly into his shirt, hot tears spilling down my cheeks.

* * *

TOBIAS

The guards took her away after that. After forcing her to watch her parents die, they just took her away. I have no idea where, maybe to a prison or whatever. Either way, a part of me thought I would never see her again. This part was saddened beyond belief and could barely function. Another part of me hoped she could die tonight so that her despair and whatever torture Jeanine had planned for her would end for her. She could be light as a feather and be content, maybe.

Christina tried to comfort me, but nothing worked. I wanted to be left alone, honestly. Tris was gone. She was gone from me and there was nothing I could do about it.

* * *

CALEB

Beatrice and I had been shoved into the same cell our parents had been held in. She curled into my chest and I held her, letting her cry. I wanted to do anything to ease her pain, but there was nothing I could do. My own chest ached and my throat was tight and constricted. I had caused that horrific scene out there. I had reacted too late to save my sister from having her arm carved and I had been the one to get her caught in the first place.

I was an awful brother.

* * *

TRIS

There are no words. No words to express my feelings right now. Everything hurt, emotionally and physically. I just wanted to close my eyes and sleep for forever. I never wanted to come back into this world.

* * *

PETER

Dammit. I was in love with that idiot Stiff. I knew I had to save the two of them or else I would never forgive myself. Dammit, dammit, dammit. The things love makes you do, eh?

I was walking down the corridors on my way to the dungeon. I was going to set them free and I hoped I could only get the Stiff to forgive me for everything I had done. I stopped outside of the dungeon door.  
By opening it, I was throwing away everything I had worked for. I was finally important. I was basically the ruler of all of this mess, alongside Jeanine. I had so much power at my hands.

And I didn't want it, not if meant I couldn't have that Stiff.

Dammit. I threw open the door and stalked down the row of cells until I reached the last one. She looked up at me, her gaze sad and distant. I jammed the keys into the lock and opened their cell. "Let's go," I muttered.

Caleb looked up at me, surprised. "Peter-"

"I'm busting you out, okay? Now let's go, before I change my mind, Stiff."

He nodded and pulled Beatrice up with him, pulling her along behind him. She had an awful limp and was incredibly slow. I rolled my eyes and hoisted her up into my arms. I met eyes with Caleb and he nodded appreciatively at me. We made our way up to the palace corridors and back through the servant's entrance.

When we exited, I handed Beatrice over to him and stole a glance at that stupid Stiff's face. By god, I loved it. I could only hope that I could be forgiven for pushing his sister down that cliff.

* * *

**I STILL FEEL NO SHAME! Although I do feel really bad for Tris and Caleb, poor guys. ;(  
**

**Also, if you didn't get my little thing at the end, Peter is in love with Caleb. PLOT TWIST. The plot continues to thicken and as sad and depressing as this story is (only four chapters in) I promise that either in the next or next next chapter there will be a happy rendezvous. **

**Also if you noticed this chapter kind of sucks in certain parts, that is because I wrote certain parts incredibly late in the evening.**

**Please, please review because it means so, so much to authors!**

**Also, I would like to dedicate this chapter to a friend of mine whose mom recently passed away. Her dad died when she was younger, so she's now been orphaned at only 16 years old. My heart goes out to you, Holly. **

**Have a great (enter time of day here)! **

**_Al**


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